Expect the Unexpected
by NumberSixteen
Summary: UA is off to summer camp! Bakugo and Uraraka find themselves in many odd situations throughout the week but when the camp ends, will they continue their summer apart or find themselves thrown back together again? What will happen when the new school year starts? A Kacchako story.
1. Summer Camp Begins!

"Woohoo! We're off to summer camp!" Kirishima swung an arm across Bakugo's shoulders as they walked toward the bus.

"Get off me!" Bakugo shoved Kirishima off and dusted his shoulders irritably.

Kaminari followed closely behind the red-head and the blonde, "Campfires, games, and most importantly, cute girls!"

Kirishima twisted his mouth slightly in thought, "Well, I don't think it's going to be all fun and games… I mean, UA isn't going to just set us loose, are they?"

Bakugo sneered at the pair, "You shit-stains are a bunch of morons. I'm going to get even stronger while we're there and kick your asses all over again next year."

Aizawa squinted his eyes slightly at the trio as they began boarding the bus for the week long trip. He momentarily caught the angry eyes of the short-tempered hot head. It briefly crossed Aizawa's mind that if Bakugo got fired up on the bus, they may make it to camp with only half a bus left. He hardened his gaze slightly, sending a silent warning to the blonde about his behavior during the ride. He decided to keep a close eye on him in case he needed to cancel out Bakugo's quirk.

As they boarded, they realized they were some of the last to do so. There were only a handful of seats left. Two in front of Uraraka and Midoriya and a few single seats dotted the nearly-full coach. Kirishima pushed ahead and began stuffing his duffle bag into the cargo bin above Uraraka and Midoriya. He turned back to Bakugo, who was waiting just in front of Kaminari, and reached out his hand for Bakugo's duffle.

Bakugo just sneered at the red-head and headed for a single seat near the back. He shoved his bag into the cargo bin and found himself seated beside Todoroki. They met gazes for a brief second before both of them looked away. ' _At least he won't annoy me the whole time,'_ Bakugo thought.

Aizawa gave a quick rundown of the rules for the ride before they departed from UA and Bakugo opted to jam his earbuds in and listen to music for the road trip. Progressively, he found the need to continue upping the volume to drown out the sounds of his classmates gabbing like a bunch of girls. If there was anything that was irritating about this summer camp, it was being crammed on a bus with this bunch of idiots in his class. He was genuinely trying not to explode on their annoying asses and it was proving to be near impossible.

They had been on the bus for about 4 hours and everybody was beginning to notice Bakugo's inner-struggle to keep his cool. It was like his anger was seeping into everyone around him. Uraraka worriedly looked back at him for a split-second, "Geez, is he always this upset?" She almost whispered the words, concerned that Bakugo would be able to hear them over the sound of metal music.

Midoriya scratched his head a little bit and laughed nervously, "Kacchan has always had a short fuse… I don't really know why."

Kirishima leaned over the top of the seat to talk to them, a toothy grin on his face. "Bakugo? Nah, he's not really that mad. He's just too busy trying to be a hard-ass."

Uraraka and Midoriya glanced back at Bakugo again and laughed awkwardly. Uraraka gave Kirishima a forced smile, "He definitely looks mad."

Kaminari sat up and leaned over with Kirishima, "Oh, he's definitely pissed off right now. He's pretty chill most of the time, but if you question his manhood or his class status? Oh, he'll try to beat you into next week."

Kirishima waved Uraraka off lightly, "He just doesn't like being crowded in here like this."

Midoriya and Uraraka shared another nervous look between each other as Kirishima and Kaminari began to change the topic. "What are you guys thinking this camp will be like?" Kirishima rested his elbow on top of the seat.

"I can't say for sure," Midora rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "But I'd definitely say it's going to be a lot of training."

Kaminari groaned woefully, "If we don't have even one campfire, then this entire week is going to totally blow."

Kirishima gave his dense friend a sour look, "Kaminari, we've talked about this a dozen times… Of course there will be a campfire. Why else would they call it camp?"

Uraraka chuckled sweetly at the pair's exchange, unaware of a set of glowering eyes behind them.

Bakugo watched the four teens ahead of him, irritation swelling in his gut. ' _Those fucking dimwits… What could be so entertaining about Deku and the she-air-head?'_ Bakugo tasted a bitter taste in his mouth as he watched Kirishima and Kaminari laughing and talking to the two most irritating classmates of all. " _I'm going to fuckin' say something."_ Bakugo thought maliciously as he ripped his earphones out.

Just as he opened his mouth, Iida rose up from his seat across from Aizawa at the front of the bus. "Class 1-A! We will be reaching the camp in about 15 minutes! Please begin gathering your things and prepare to exit the bus!"

Bakugo bit his tongue momentarily, watching angrily as Kaminari and Kirishima sat back down in their seats and began packing their road snacks and entertainment up. In the corner of his eye, he caught Todoroki looking mildly at him. Bakugo turned wildly to face the half-hot-half-cold hero in training. "Got a problem, asshole?!"

Todoroki simply met Bakugo's enraged eyes cooly, opting to respond with a basic "No."

"Then fuckin' mind your own business!" Bakugo barked out and began stuffing his earphones in the pockets of his black jeans. His mind began to settle into the habitat of the bus that they'd been riding on for most of the day. His classmates were chatting mindlessly with one another, speculating about the camp, and others were simply reading a book, taking a nap, or entertaining themselves with things they brought with them. " _God, it smells like B.O. in here,"_ Bakugo thought, disgusted at the smell that had accumulated over the last few hours.

Bakugo glanced outside the window of the bus and saw that they were in the mountains. The sun was settling into late afternoon and gave a dazzling view to the empty valley below. During the final fifteen minutes of the bus ride, they descended down a lot and gave rise to a somewhat large lake with cabins dotted in the trees of the shoreline. There was a dock that strutted out into the lake and a mess hall was seated up against a cliff a decent distance away from the shore. The place looked very camp-like as they rolled up in the bus.

"Class," Aizawa addressed them. "We have arrived at the camp. Please get everything off the bus and wait for me to assign you a cabin."

The students began to make their way down the isle of the bus in a single file line, everyone in a rush to step out of the stinky and cramped place and properly stretch their legs. Bakugo waited for nobody as he snatched his duffle bag and made it beeline for the door. He wasn't going to waste another minute with these idiots in this cesspool.

When he stepped off the final step, the fresh air of the mountain camp filled his nostrils. He breathed it in, satisfied with it's crisp pine smell. He felt a little twinge of his patience restored, not that there was much of that fuse to begin with.

The remainder of the class exited the bus and began to 'Ooo!" and "Ahh!" at the rustic camp. Most stretching their arms over their heads and yawning after a long bus ride, three others rushed Bakugo, cackling at leftover conversations. Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero all surrounded Bakugo, talking excitedly about bunking together.

"Hopefully UA actually listened to our bunk requests," Kirishima crossed his fingers. "I definitely do not want to bunk with Mineta or Aoyama."

"Anyone is better than Deku," Bakugo spat in response, only mildly involved in their conversation.

Kaminari was about to say something in response, but silenced himself when Kirishima and Sero both shook their heads violently at him, fearing he'd say something outrageously stupid and piss Bakugo off.

Sero flexed his tape-arms excitedly, "I wonder what they have planned for us here. Hopefully, I can get super strong!"

Kirishima laughed nervously for his friend, "Well you didn't really pass the final so… I can't really speak to what they might have planned for you."

"Listen up!" Iida shouted over their conversation. "Come line up to get your bunk assignments from Mr. Aizawa!"

Everyone began to gather around their teacher, most excited while a few were indifferent or too wrapped up in anticipation.

Aizawa cleared his throat loudly and began announcing the cabin assignments. "First, we have Sero, Midoriya, and Todoroki. Next, we have Aoyama, Koda, Sato, and Ojiro. After that, we have Ashido, Asui, and Hagakure. Then, Bakugo, Kirishima, and Kaminari. Next is Iida, Tokoyami, Mineta, and Shoji. Last, we have Uraraka, Yaoyorozu and Jiro. The boys' cabins are on my left and the girls' cabins are on my right. Tonight is your one night off so go get settled. Dinner is in an hour."

Bakugo sniffed irritably at the group of happily squealing girls to his left as they hurriedly grabbed their stuff and began to skip off to their cabin. Uraraka and Yaoyorozu were clearly happy to be bunked together while Jiro seemed somewhat unamused. Bakugo was never more joyful that he was not a girl as he was right now. If he had to deal with the excitement that Uraraka and Yaoyorozu would certainly have throughout the week, he doubted he'd make it without killing them first.

"Ah man!" Sero pouted slightly. "I was really hoping to bunk with you guys!"

"No sweat!" Kirishima smiled at his friend, "We will only be a two cabins away, so you can come hang out whenever!"

Bakugo scoffed at them, immediately comparing them to the giddy girls he had just seen torpedo off to their cabin. He scooped up his duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder as he walked toward their cabin, the furthest one from the mess hall.

Uraraka smiled happily as she and her two friends began settling in to their cabin. It was dusty and would definitely need a good airing out, but it would work perfectly for her.

"Look at this view!" Yaoyorozu beamed as she opened the shade to their back window.

Uraraka and Jiro temporarily left their bunks and wandered over to admire the view. They were pretty close to the water and the sunlight bouncing off the waves was a brilliant sight after a long bus ride.

"Wow!" Uraraka couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Let's go look on the patio!"

The trio exited the cabin out of the back door and found themselves on a small patio with two wooden chairs, fenced in with smooth but knolled wood posts. A breeze from the lake eased over them and chilled their skin lightly.

"Okay, this is pretty cool," Jiro commented.

"Pretty cool?" Uraraka cheered, "This is spectacular! We don't have views like this back home!"

"I do," Yaoyorozu replied, but immediately regretted her gloating remark.

Uraraka brushed her off sweetly, "Pfft, not everyone has oodles of money like you do."

Yaoyorozu turned pink with embarrassment, "Sorry, that was insensitive."

"Who cares!" Uraraka laughed, "I just can't wait to go swimming in this lake! I bet it'll be amazing!"

"Let's just go swimming tonight," Jiro rejoined the conversation. "I mean, we're right here on the shoreline."

Uraraka beamed at the idea. "I could not agree more."

Students began pouring into the mess hall around dinner time. The place smelled amazing with meats, veggies, rice, and soups up for grabs. The mess hall itself was grand but rustic. Like the cabins, the place was made entirely of logs stripped of their bark with somewhat muggy windows and a tall pointed ceiling. The hardwood floor and round tables were worn down after countless years of UA students coming to experience this camp. Each table had a gaslight lamp lit to help give the room a very good camping atmosphere and the chairs groaned as they were pulled up to tables.

"You guys settle in okay?" Asui asked in her usual nasally voice, her tongue peeking out from her lips as she and Ashido sat down across from the Uraraka, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu with trays of food in hand.

"Sure did!" Yaoyorozu replied brightly, setting down a bright red apple. "How about you guys?"

Ashido waved her hand at the trio and giggled, "You could say that our cabin is going to be the most fun."

"Doubt it!" Uraraka teased back. "Girls cabin A is going to dominate."

"Hey Uraraka!" Midoriya smiled and sat down beside Ashido, his tray was chock full of meats and veggies. "How do you like camp so far?"

"Love it!" Uraraka smiled at the two girls beside her. "We're going to have so much fun!"

Iida, who was with Midoriya, nodded his head at the ladies at the table, "It's going to be fun and we are going to learn a lot about being heros. We must prepare to work hard and tackle everything that UA is going to throw at us this week!"

Jiro poked Iida with her earphone jack on the cheek, "You take this stuff way too seriously, class rep."

Iida paid her no mind and continued his pep talk, "If we don't take this opportunity and get everything we can out of it, then we don't deserve to be UA students."

Midoriya patted Iida on the shoulder softly, "We know, man. You don't have to tell us. You're already way strong so we have to make sure you don't get too far ahead of us."

Their conversation was cut short as Aizawa and Present Mic demanded the students' attention at the head of the mess hall. Aizawa stared at his class momentarily before speaking, "Class 1-A, enjoy your evening tonight because the real work begins tomorrow. We will be assigning you into teams of two for your first day here at camp. Your goal is to spend tomorrow training together for the purpose of going up against another team at the end of the day. If you win, you don't have to help cook dinner tomorrow night. Present Mic will begin naming the teams."

Present Mic cleared his throat and began presenting the teams with the use of his quirk, albeit on a very low volume. "The teams are as follows: Kaminari and Jiro, Ashido and Aoyama-"

"Again?!" Ashido blurted out and slammed her head on the wooden table.

"Toru and Sero, Shoji and Sato, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu-"

"Cool!" Yaoyorozu smiled at Midoriya, who smiled sheepishly in return.

"Tokoyami and Kirishima, Bakugo and Uraraka, Todoroki and Ojiro-"

Everyone at Uraraka's table immediately turned to see her reaction, but found her face completely blank.

"I'm paired with Bakugo?" She asked dryly.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _This is my first BNHA fanfic and I might be a little rusty at the get-go here, but I immediately fell in love with the Kaccako pairing so I HAD to write it._

 _I'm in this story for the long haul and I will make sure I update regularly for you all, so I hope you stick around :)_

 _Nice to meet you and please enjoy!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	2. Blowing off Steam

Dinner came to a close and the students began pouring out of the mess hall. Bakugo watched gruffly as the brown-haired girl glumly replaced her tray and drug her feet toward the door. Her little posse of dimwits were patting her on the back and giving her words of encouragement as they exited. Bakugo huffed to himself, ' _If that stupid Deku fangirl tries to pull any of that soft crap she's always giving to everyone on me, I'll kill her before she gets the chance."_

Kirishima clapped Bakugo on the back and broke his stare, "Dude, you can't just deal out the death stare on your partner, especially since she's a girl. It's not manly!"

Bakugo shrugged Kirishima off and went go deposit his empty tray, deciding not to respond the the stupid red-head.

Kaminari shook his head at their explosive hot-head, "You should at least try to get along with her."

Bakugo slammed his tray down into the bin, his shoulders tensing with anger. "Would you shut-up already, Sparky?! UA keeps pairing us up, but I can win on my own!"

Kirishima followed after Bakugo and lay his tray down on top with a tenth of the force Bakugo enlisted. "Yeah, but they don't want you to win on your own. They want you to work with a partner and you've got the amazing zero gravity quirk to use to your advantage!"

Bakugo was visibly irked, "You lookin' to die today, rocks-for-brains?!"

"No," Kirishima waved a hand at the ill-tempered blonde, "But you should definitely not blow up your partner. It's bad for your reputation."

That single line set Bakugo off, explosions starting to warm up in his palms. "I'm going to kill you right now!"

Kirishima cackled and took off running for the door, Kaminari in tow. "See you back at the cabin, Bakugo!"

Bakugo snarled and took off after them, hurling insults with every step. He bolted up to the door and burst through them with explosive rage, "Get back here, you bunch of morons! I'll have your heads on a post before nightfall!"

As the doors slammed open with vengeful force, he found himself face-to-face with a chestnut-haired classmate. She stumbled back from the momentum of Bakugo's rage and the impact of his grand exit and fell roughly on her back.

Shock briefly flashed on Bakugo's face before he harnessed his resentment again. "Watch where you're going, airhead!"

Uraraka squealed quitely, surprised to see her always pissed off classmate standing vehemently above her. She leapt up from the dirt and began wiping it from the back of her pants. "I just forgot to get my-"

"Your what?!" Bakugo bellowed, cutting her off.

Uraraka's face twisted scornfully, "Forget it! I'll come back later!" She immediately turned on her heel and began storming back to her cabin. ' _I can't believe I'm stuck with this guy all day tomorrow! I have the worst luck!'_

Bakugo blinked mildly as she strutted away angrily, surprised at her frustration. He decided not to dwell on it and began his violent trek to his cabin once again. Kirishima's quirk couldn't protect him forever.

…..

Uraraka slammed her cabin door shut behind her, "That jerk! Where does he get off acting like such a brat?! The assignment hasn't even started and he's already acting like I'm insignificant and weak!"

Yaoyorozu and Jiro both watched their angry bunkmate with wide, surprised eyes as Uraraka continued her furious rant.

"I'm not the weak one! I'm level-headed, tough, and strategic! He's the one that only sees red and just blows up everything in sight without thinking about it! Forget about the assignment, how are we even going to be able to speak to each other?! I can already tell that I'm going to get stuck on the back-burner while he just takes the entire offense for himself! I can fight!"

Uraraka finally exhaled, tired after her mouthful rant. "I'm just totally stressed out about tomorrow…" Her eyes drooped down to look at the hardwood floor of the cabin.

"Uhmm…" Jiro started, unable to find words to address Uraraka's situation.

"What happened?!" Yaoyorozu blurted out.

Uraraka lay back first onto her bottom bunk, huffing a sigh of indignation. "I just ran into Bakugo outside the mess hall when I went back to get my jacket. That jerk knocked me down and then yelled at me like I did something wrong!"

"Well, what did you say to him?" Yaoyorozu asked pointedly, letting Uraraka vent out her frustrations.

"Nothing!" Uraraka gritted her teeth, "I just stood up and walked away. He was already mad at somebody, yelling about morons and how he'd have their heads on sticks. I don't know, but I definitely wasn't looking for a real fight."

Jiro and Yaoyorozu shared a concerned look before Jiro spoke up, "Well don't worry about that guy right now. Let's just hang out and go swimming. Just try to forget about it because tomorrow is a brand new day, right?"

Uraraka covered her face with her hands and groaned before sitting up, "Yeah okay. Let's just try to have some fun."

Yaoyorozu looked briefly out of their back window, "We have about an hour left of daylight, so let's hurry and get out there."

…..

Bakugo had stormed into the cabin after his encounter with his partner for tomorrow and found it quiet in the room. His rage began to dissipate slowly as he waltzed in and and kicked off his shoes, "Where are those idiots?"

After changing into cargo shorts and a black t-shirt, he heard a muffled laugh coming from outside the back door of their cabin. He squinted his eyes irritably and hurled the back door open, revealing Kirishima and Kaminari startled at his arrival. "What are you dumbasses doing?"

Kaminari smiled sheepishly at Bakugo, "We're just hanging out and hiding from you. Are you still mad?"

Bakugo gazed gravely at the electric blonde, "Of course I'm still pissed off! You shit-stains took off like a bunch of pansies. What, are you too afraid to fight me?!"

Kirishima settled back into the wooden arm chair and sighed contently, "No, we didn't want to fight. You're just too easy to tease sometimes!"

Bakugo immediately tensed up at the insult but Kirishima cut him off before he could get a word out. "Just chill out, look at this view, and try to relax. Not everything is about being macho, you know?"

Just as an unwitting anger started to bubble in his gut, Bakugo looked up to see the lake in front of them. An orange, red, and yellow sun was licking the waves peacefully and the trees swayed leisurely in the calm breeze. Bakugo grunted audibly and sat down on the wooden railing, his feet swinging down on the opposite side as he leaned on one of the two support posts holding the wooden canopy above them. He breathed in the minty fresh air, sprinkled with the smell of pine and wet sand. The water made a lovely sound as it rubbed against the rocks and waves ran into each other. Birds sung an evening song as they began to settle into their nests for the night. Bakugo had to admit, it was relaxing.

Well, it was relaxing up until girlish laughter and squeals could be heard a distance away. Bakugo's eyes snapped in their direction to see three individuals wading into the water. He could faintly hear scrambled sentences like "Oh my this water is cold!" and "This is amazing!"

Kaminari was the first to pipe up, "Oh dude… Summer camp is the best."

Kirishima agreed and stood to lean over the railing, "I can't believe I am seeing this with my own two eyes!"

Kaminari rose to stand beside Kirishima, "Forget about the first view, _this is a view_."

Bakugo was disgusted at the other two boys' ogling. He never did understand their infatuation with girls and their annoying attributes. To him, there is no appeal in catering to girls when they should be busy studying for UA. This school was their one-way ticket to pro-hero status, and he'd be damned if anything, especially a girl, squandered that opportunity.

Nonetheless, Bakugo's eyes followed Kirishima and Kaminari's gazes as they fell on the trio of their girl classmates. All three had their hair tied up and donned swimsuits. Yaoyorozu was clad in a two piece colored pink, Jiro in a one piece colored purple, and Uraraka in a two piece colored red. ' _That's a good color,'_ Bakugo thought briefly before shaking the thought out of his mind. There was no way he was going to partake in this. He tore his eyes from the ladies and focused back on the sunset. Every so often, a squeal or laughter between the girls would capture his attention again, but he labeled it as a nuisance and an annoyance. Bakugo balled his hands into fists and fought to find the relaxation he had before those three decided to take a dip.

It wasn't long before he noticed the cabin two from his left had found a few spectators as well. He grew angry as he saw Midoriya exit his cabin to the patio with Sero and Todoroki to see what the commotion was. Todoroki saw the girls, stopped in his tracks, and turned back to go inside while Midoriya blushed violently and Sero watched in bewilderment. Bakugo clenched his jaw, ' _Are those girls just asking for this attention?! Pathetic!'_

"Oh my gosh… Can this be real?!" The door to the cabin to Bakugo's immediate left opened up and Mineta was wide-eyed and amazed. "Am I dreaming?! This can't be real life!" A drip of drool slid down his chin.

Iida was next to come out, see the sight, and immediately over-react. "Mineta! Come inside at once!" Iida's arm waved strictly. "This is not appropriate in the least! I must go find Aizawa and end this spectacle at once!" Iida grabbed a fighting Mineta and began hauling the heartbroken pervert back into the cabin. Bakugo watched as the shades to the back window were quickly strewn shut and he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the annoying-as-hell class rep would deal with his annoyance for him.

Before Iida was really able to do much, the sun began to disappear behind the far-away mountains across the valley. Bakugo could hear the girls whining in disappointment, but was relieved to see them begin to exit the water.

Kaminari gasped, "No! Don't go away yet!"

Kirishima patted the electric blonde on the shoulder, eyes closed in empathy. "Kaminari, all good things must come to an end. Let's just remember it for the amazing moment it was."

Bakugo sneered at his bunkmates, "You two are disgusting. I'm glad they're leaving."

Kirishima gave Bakugo a dry look, "Wow. I bet you're such a lady killer. Really."

Kaminari pouted visibly, "More like he's a mood killer."

…..

As the girls waded out of the water, a chilly breeze setting in, Yaoyorozu began wringing out her long hair. "Ladies, that was fun!"

Uraraka laughed airily in agreement, "So much fun! I can't remember the last time I've felt this relaxed!"

"So you're feeling better now?" Jiro asked quietly as they towel dried themselves on the beach.

"Much better!" Uraraka beamed at her bunkmates. "It's just what I needed after a long day. I think I'll be feeling refreshed and ready when tomorrow comes."

Yaoyorozu dropped her towel over Uraraka's head and ruffled it. "Good thing, because that was the goal. Let's get showered and go to bed. Sound good ladies?"

Jiro and Uraraka nodded happily before they started back up to their cabin. The first day at camp was coming to a close, but the excitement for training tomorrow was building.

The girls cleaned up and giggled as they settled down into their bunks. Yaoyorozu was across from Uraraka on the top bunk, Jiro below her. Uraraka was happy to have gotten her own bunk as they settled in under their blankets.

A knock came on their door and they heard Thirteen call out a brisk, "Lights out, girls!"

Jiro slithered her earphone jack to the light switch and flicked it off, the room going from dim to dark. "I hope it doesn't get too cold tonight."

"Same," Yaoyorozu audibly yawned in the darkness. "I just know it's going to be hot as hell tomorrow and we're all going to be working up a sweat."

"You have no idea," Uraraka mumbled, disheartened at her rotten luck. "At least you get to work with Deku, I'd kill to trade places with you."

Jiro mused lightly at Uraraka, "Of course you would. You like Midoriya, don't you?"

Uraraka blushed fiercely, thankful for the cloak of darkness, "I do not! He's just a super good friend and he's really strong! Plus, he is so easy to work with."

"Mhhhmmm," Yaoyorozu replied sarcastically. "He sure is great, alright. So great that Uraraka has started to crush hard."

Uraraka huffed, her heart skipping a beat, "I don't like him like that. He's just super fun to be around and it only sounds the way you are saying it sounds because I'm stuck with Explosiony-McSplody for the assignment tomorrow. I am so not looking forward to dealing with that guy. He's a homicidal maniac and even though I'm his partner, I'll be lucky to make it out of the training tomorrow with my life!"

Jiro rolled over in her bunk to face Uraraka, even though they could hardly make each other out in the darkness, "You'll just have to make him work with you, you know? We all know that Bakugo doesn't respond well to authority, but that's pretty much the only card you've got."

"Yeah!" Yaoyorozu contributed encouragingly, "You're just going to have to make him take you seriously. He took you seriously during the sports festival, so make him do it now."

Uraraka groaned, discouraged with her circumstances. "You guys are right, but I lost that fight. He totally kicked my butt."

"So what?" Yaoyorozu chided her friend and bunkmate, "You've gotten a gazillion times stronger since then and you learned a ton at your internship. Apply those skills and make Bakugo listen to you. If anyone can do it, you can. You're just too sweet and motivated to let even that psycho break your resolve. If you can get Bakugo to work with you, I'm sure the teachers will also be super impressed, so there is your motivation. Just get it done, girl!"

Uraraka knew her friends were right. She couldn't just give up, could she? As the night crept in, Uraraka started to formulate a plan for tomorrow and hype herself up for the assignment. She knew it was going to be a tough sell for Bakugo, but she just had to make it work. Tomorrow, there would be no giving up or giving in to that explosive blonde. She'd make sure she was a force not to be taken lightly, first to her teammate and next to their rivals.

* * *

Short Author's Note:

Hey guys, I'm glad you've enjoyed this so far. I know it's kind of slow-going, but the next chapter will start picking things up.

Thanks for reading!

~NumberSixteen


	3. Teamwork 101

Morning came far too quickly for class 1-A. The UA teachers had everyone up at dawn on the dot and everyone was looking especially sluggish after breakfast. The majority of the class drug their feet as the teachers had them line up outside the mess hall, the heat of the day was already beginning to set in as the sun began peeking over the mountains.

"I AM HERE!" All Might presented himself, crash landing before the students. The surprise of his entrance jump started everyone and brought them out of their reverie. "Good morning Class 1-A! Today, you will train with your previously assigned partner and your goal is to combine your quirks in order to defeat an opposing team! Battles will take place at the end of the day. Good luck!" All Might gave the class an enthusiastic thumbs-up before dismissing them.

' _Okay, I just have to hold my ground and make Bakugo listen to me,'_ Uraraka began hyping herself up for the inevitable confrontation with her teammate. She took a deep breath and turned her head side to side, looking for Bakugo. ' _What? Where did he go?'_

She caught a glimpse of angry blonde hair making its way into the treeline. ' _He didn't even wait for me? What a jerk!'_ Uraraka started after him, angry for being left behind. ' _So he really does think that little of me..'_

"Bakugo! Wait up!" Uraraka shouted as she bordered the treeline. He didn't even acknowledge her as he continued walking through the trees, his arms swaying beside him purposefully.

"This isn't funny!" Uraraka leapt into a sprint to try and catch up, "We're partners, so we have to work together."

Bakugo scoffed at her, "Leave me alone, airhead." A scornful look rested onto his face.

Uraraka came up behind him, anger written all over her face, "No can do, Bakugo. We won't win if we don't work together."

"Win?" Bakugo tensed rigidly, "I can win on my own! I don't need help from you or anybody else!" His palms began to spark at his resilience and his growing irritation of the foolish brunette.

"Oh?" Uraraka snapped back, "So you want to fight the other team all on your own, then? Well, what are you going to do if we get paired up with Deku and Yaoyorozu or Todoroki and Ojiro? Do you honestly think you can take them on all by yourself?"

That was the wrong thing to say.

Bakugo stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw clenched, and his eyes burned with a menacing fury. "What did you say to me?" He kept his eyes ahead, but he could sense her recoiling back slightly.

Uraraka breathed out softly before continuing, "I'm just trying to get us to work together. I'm on this team, which means I am fifty percent, so I want a fifty percent say."

Bakugo growled audibly, a deep undertone of hatred laced in. "Shut-up right now or I swear I will kill you."

"But-" Uraraka started exasperatedly.

"SHUT UP!" Bakugo bellowed and reeled to his left, sparks lighting up his palms. As he turned toward her, all he saw was an absence of brown hair.

"I'm not going to fight you, Bakugo! I'm your teammate, your equal!" Uraraka shouted, her voice strained pleadingly as she perched from a nearby tree branch.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes dangerously as he caught her sight, "So you're going to run away? Fuckin' fight me! I beat you once and I'll do it again!"

"No." Uraraka replied, forceful and dry. ' _This is not working out how I hoped it would,'_ Uraraka inwardly groaned. ' _I'm just making him more mad. How do I calm him down and get him to listen?'_

Bakugo gritted his teeth, not even attempting to tame his rage, "I don't need your help! Your stupid quirk is nowhere near my level, at least not anymore. Instead of getting stronger, you've been too busy kissing Deku's ass. I don't have respect for anybody who isn't focused on being the best!"

Hurt flashed across Uraraka's face at Bakugo's words. "You jerk!" She leapt down from the tree, angry tears welling up in her eyes. "You have no idea what I'm aiming for! I don't need your respect, Bakugo. It means nothing to me!" Uraraka's fist balled up as she made purposeful steps toward the explosive blonde, "For you information, I am aiming for the top because I have to become a pro-hero too. I don't have the option to fail, so I've been working to get stronger every day. Yes, I've made friends, but that doesn't make me weak!" Uraraka was a few feet away from him now, stopping and gritting her teeth through her watery eyes. "If I have to fight you to prove that, then bring it! Just don't be surprised when I beat you!"

Bakugo's determined expression didn't waiver as he stared down the brunette. She met his gaze ferociously, but he could see her fists trembling slightly. ' _She's afraid to fight me, but will do it anyway? She's more like Deku than I give her credit for.'_

Bakugo grunted pointedly and released himself from his fighting stance. "Fine, dumb-shit, we can work together."

Shock was written all over Uraraka's face. ' _What? He doesn't want to fight now?'_

Bakugo turned back around and kept walking, "Hurry the hell up or I'm going to leave you here, airhead!"

Uraraka dropped her fists and started following him, her mind going crazy. ' _Why the sudden change of heart? Was it because I agreed to fight him? That was pretty unlike me. Man, am I glad he changed his mind!'_

Bakugo led her through the trees for a while longer, an awkward silence hanging in the air. As they came across a small clearing, Bakugo stopped. "This will work fine. I won't be able to catch anything on fire."

Uraraka glanced at their new training spot. The area was surrounded by new tree saplings and the earth was devoid of grass. There were plenty of rocks and boulders around, which was a plus for Uraraka. The dewy morning made the dirt damp and somewhat slick.

"So…" Uraraka started awkwardly. "What now?"

Bakugo huffed in annoyance, "You lift stuff and I blow stuff up."

Unsure of how to respond, Uraraka laughed airily. "Shouldn't we strategize first?"

"We don't know who we're fighting, dumb-shit." Bakugo rolled his eyes.

"Well duh," Uraraka tapped her chin. "But we could tell each other what our strengths and weaknesses are, right?"

Bakugo growled inwardly at her new-found cheeriness. Nothing annoyed him more. "Then start talking. We don't have all day, you know?"

"Well…" Uraraka sat down on a boulder, "You already know that I can lift a lot because of the sports festival, but I get really sick when I lift too much or I lift myself. Gunhead did teach me a lot about martial arts, though! I can hold my own in hand to hand combat."

"That's lame." Bakugo responded dryly.

"Speak for yourself," Uraraka shot back. "Your big attack? You can only perform that move a handful of times before your body can't take it."

She was quick to notice that he was visibly irked by her point, so she moved on, "Maybe we should just start training?"

Bakugo silently agreed, his irritation growing. He knew he had matured miles since he started at UA and he was getting sick of being served humble pie. To say he was scornful about working with Uraraka was an understatement because he knew he worked so much better alone. However, if he didn't at least try to work with her, he would look like he hadn't improved at all in the eyes of his instructors. Things just never went his way.

Uraraka slammed a closed fist into her other palm. "Great! Let's get to it!"

…..

As the day fell into early afternoon, everyone broke for lunch. As Uraraka entered the mess hall, she pulled her sweat-sticky hair up into a ponytail. A blast of cold air rushed her face and she sighed in relief. "I don't think I have ever been more thankful for air conditioning in my life…"

Yaoyorozu fell in beside her as they lined up for their lunch. "You look like you've been having quite a day. Midoriya and I have been worried about you."

Uraraka breathed out, still relishing in the cool air of the building. "Yeah, Bakugo and I have been trying to get along all morning and we have gotten absolutely nowhere."

Concern washed onto Yaoyorozu's face. "I can't say I'm not surprised. He won't work with you at all?"

Uraraka groaned hopelessly, "We started off alright, but it seems like we take one step forward and then two steps back. He obviously doesn't work well with others, especially me. Everything I say just annoys him more…"

"That sucks," Yaoyorozu replied as they were handed paper lunch bags. "Want to come sit with us? I bet you could use a break from explosion-face over there."

Uraraka's eyes fell on Bakugo leaving the mess hall with his lunch in hand. Kirishima and Kaminari waved at him as he walked by, inviting him to join them, but Bakugo coldly ignored them and walked out of the mess hall.

"I could definitely use a break," Uraraka grieved for herself, "But it looks like Bakugo is not wasting any training time, so I better go with him. I feel like he'd be mad if I didn't go too."

Yaoyorozu patted the brunette on the head, "Alright then. Just call us if you need anything, okay?"

Uraraka nodded at her friend before going after Bakugo, "I'll see you guys later!"

Grimly, Uraraka left the mess hall. She missed the air conditioned environment the moment she walked out the door but trudged her way back to their training spot. As she came up on the clearing, she panted at seeing Bakugo's relaxed position. He was leaning his back on the boulder he sat beside, covered by a twinge of shade. He was gulping down some water that was still chilled and he held his sandwich in his other hand.

Uraraka plopped down across from him, happy to have some shade. She dug into her lunch sack and saw the same sandwich that Bakugo had, some carrots, a tub of rice, and a cold water bottle. She looked back at her partner only for him to ignore her gaze.

"Why couldn't we eat at the mess hall?" She suddenly asked. "It's hot out here and cool in there."

Bakugo swallowed his bite from his sandwich and gave her a perturbed look. "I didn't want to be around those idiots."

Uraraka unwrapped her sandwich as she snacked on her carrots, "Don't you ever get tired of being so rude?"

Bakugo narrowed his red eyes at her, "Don't you ever get tired of being a nosy, air-brained moron?"

Uraraka huffed in exasperation. "Bakugo, we've been trying to work together all day and we've gotten a whole lot of nowhere. I'm trying to get along with you, but you keep saying things like that."

"So?" Bakugo finished the last bite of his sandwich and reached for his carrots, "This is just a camp, so we're not getting graded. I'm more interested in getting stronger by myself."

"Ahhh!" Uraraka pulled her hair frustratedly, "Why are you so difficult? I ought you punch you for being such a piece of work!"

Bakugo smirked, "I'd like to see you try."

Uraraka squinted at him and raised a fist at him, "Is that a challenge?"

Bakugo set his lunch aside, grabbing a single carrot from the remainder of his lunch. He stood up and twirled it in his fingers. "Tell you what, if you can take this carrot from me, I will try to work with you."

Uraraka laughed lightly as she stood up herself, "Quirks or no?"

Bakugo thought about it momentarily, "No quirks. It's too hot outside to be blasting stuff."

"Deal," Uraraka smiled, an evil and confident glint in her eye. ' _This will be easy."_

Bakugo gripped the carrot in his left hand as he maintained a defensive stance, watching as Uraraka took up an offensive one. She started to circle around him slowly and he matched her movements. She dared a step forward, but Bakugo held his position

Uraraka smiled behind her fists, a gleam of cockiness in her eyes. She knew she was up against a maniac and a damn good fighter, but she knew she had what it took to simply grab a carrot from him. She hopped a little back and forth before lunging at him.

Bakugo threw his right arm up in defense as she tried to distract him with her attack and threw his left arm closer to his chest. He turned on his left foot and put his back to her to separate them. Not staying exposed for too long, he swung his right foot back around to face her, taking back his defensive stance. "That was gutsy, but I could see right through it. I could have taken you out right then and there if I wanted to."

Uraraka gritted her teeth, ' _This might be harder than I thought.'_

She took a pause to think before lunging again, this time anticipating his right arm. She knew he wasn't going to pull the same move again and was pleasantly surprised when he went low this time, just as she was hoping. Before he could reach her legs and knock her off balance, she grabbed his wrist on the outside and put her other hand on his shoulder. He continued with his maneuver regardless of her tactic, and moved to swing his left leg under her.

Just as his move was about to knock her off balance, she put all her weight on her left hand that rested on his shoulder and leapt up, cartwheeling over him. Her eyes fell on the hand holding the carrot and she lunged again for the win.

"You missed something!" Bakugo cackled, smiling devilishly. He exited the maneuver he was executing a moment earlier and swung full-circle. Just as she reached for the carrot, he was already responding to her attack. He grabbed her right wrist, attempting to twist her arm behind her back.

Uraraka knew what he was trying to do immediately, as it was the first thing that Gunhead had taught her. Now that she was on the defensive, she threw the weight of her body into his chest, trying to force him to release her before he could get her into a surrendering position.

His first response to her defense, he threw a left jab to try and knock her off balance, but she was ready. She threw herself around, her back now to him, and blocked the move. Just as she blocked the move, she reached for his left fist.

Bakugo realized in that second that he could lose this, so he jerked the carrot to the only place she couldn't reach it. He pulled his hand to his mount and bit down on the carrot, chewing it up quickly.

Uraraka twirled back around to face him, anger and defeat on her face. "You cheated!"

Bakugo smirked back, "I don't think so. We can call it a draw."

Uraraka huffed in dissatisfaction before she realized she was no more than a few inches away from the tall blonde teen. Both were drenched with sweat as the afternoon sun beat down on them. She watched as he used the back of his right hand to wipe the beads from his forehead.

"Ahh!" Uraraka squealed and tripped backwards, falling on the ground.

Bakugo didn't understand her reaction as began heading for his water bottle. "Are you ready to get back to training?"

Uraraka stood up and made her way to her own drink, disappointed to find that it was no longer ice cold. "Yeah I guess…"

Bakugo looked up at the sun, "We have maybe another 2 hours before they call it and we start the matches."

"We have a lot of ground to cover.." Uraraka said dejectedly.

Bakugo let sparks light up in his hands, "I'm going to make sure I win."

Uraraka felt a sudden lift in her spirits at his confidence. "Me too."


	4. Match Start!

"Alright," Aizawa started, staring indiscriminately at the students gathered around him. The late afternoon sun settled into the sky behind him, shining it's rays directly into the students' eyes. "Your battles will begin after this. The rules are simple; collect the other team's flags before time runs out without the use of your costumes. We will be having the battles at numerous different locations, so expect your battleground to be at your disadvantage. As we told you last night, the winners will not be required to cook dinner. For the losers, we will be serving fish tonight."

Everyone immediately looked more determined. There wasn't a single student that wanted to help prepare fish, making it more than enough motivation to put their all into the battles.

"Present Mic will list off opponents for you," Aizawa finished.

On cue, the spunky, loudmouthed teacher cleared his throat before switching on his microphone. "Aaalright class 1-A!"

Most of the class winced at his volume, bringing the teacher to turn it down a few notches.

"Fiiirst up! We have a real showdown! Kaminari and Jiro versus Iida and Asui!"

Kirishima clapped his electric friend on the back, "Dude… _Good luck_."

Kaminari was taken aback by his friend's passive insult, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Neeext up!" Present Mic didn't hesitate to move on, "We have Kirishima and Tokoyami versus Todoroki and Ojiro!"

Kaminari cackled hastily and promptly clapped Kirishima's back mockingly, "Yo man… _Good luck_."

Kirishima's only response was a dirty look.

Uraraka glanced nervously at her partner, who let a flash of disappointment cross his eyes. ' _I guess he was hoping to fight Todoroki. He can be bummed out, but I'm happy about it.'_

"Ashido and Aoyama versus Toru and Sero!"

Uraraka gulped, ' _There's only four teams left… Please don't tell me that we're fighting who I think we're fighting…'_

"Midoriya and Yaoyorozu versus Bakugo and Uraraka!"

"Oooof course…" Uraraka mumbled audibly, discouragement in her tone.

Bakugo shot her an angry glare, ' _What did she say? She's just going to be a weak point for me with an attitude like that. This is hero school, so we have to beat up on our classmates all the time. Ugh, she's going to go soft if we're fighting Deku. I guess I'm going to have to do this on my own anyway.'_

Bakugo watched irritably as Midoriya and Yaoyorozu waved awkwardly at he and Uraraka. She waved back at them weakly and Bakugo just ignored their gesture, clenching his jaw.

"Last but not least! We have Koda and Mineta up against Shoji and Sato!"

Mineta huffed a sincerely depressed sigh, "Ah man… Our battle is just going to be one big sausage fest."

Bakugo sneered at the ball-headed pervert in disgust. Mineta had a way of irking Bakugo in ways where he couldn't even bring himself to beat up on the little degenerate. He didn't know where Mineta had been and he didn't want to know before soiling his own hands.

"Now that you have your opponents, you can either watch the matches or spend the time strategizing with your team mate!"

Uraraka turned to Bakugo, forcing her mood to lift despite the fact they were taking on her two friends. "We should definitely start to strategize, don't you think?"

Bakugo saw right through her fake cheeriness. "No thanks."

Uraraka's face fell and a perplexed one replaced it, "Whaa? Why not?"

Bakugo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, bored with her nice girl routine. He pursed his lips shut at her.

Uraraka held his menacing gaze expectantly, "Well? Whats up? We're fighting a super strong team and we've hardly been able to pull ourselves together all day. Now is the time for some good teamwork."

Bakugo clenched his jaw, his eyes burning with a new fury. "Deku and whats-her-name aren't strong. I'll crush them all by myself."

Uraraka was at a loss for words, ' _He cannot be serious!'_

Bakugo pushed past her, knocking her shoulder with his. "Move."

Uraraka watched her partner walk away, vexed by his sudden change of heart. She had done nothing but suck up to him all day to make things easier and here he was, falling back into the same old habits. "You're ridiculous…"

The first match started a little while later. The battle was taking place in a giant mud pit. Neither team could use their quirks very effectively, forcing them to be creative and truly work as a team.

Uraraka started to sweat with newfound stress, ' _Bakugo and I are definitely going to lose if we don't work together…'_

Uraraka watched as Iida and Asui worked together so smoothly. They easily captured Jiro's flag from her belt at the get-go. Man, she would have done just about anything to have Iida as her partner. His work ethic and drive for teamwork was unmatched and she needed that now more than anything.

Unfortunately, Kaminari and Jiro were just unable to keep up with the other team's flawless coordination, especially after Kaminari had zapped himself back to stupidville for a few hours. Kirishima had been engagingly watching the match from the sidelines. His words and shouts of encouragement for his friend at the beginning of the match had quickly turned to chortles and bellows of laughter at the end. He clutched his sides, "Kaminari, you're such a hopeless idiot!"

Kaminari was deemed unable to continue so the match was cut short and called in favor of Iida and Asui. Shortly afterward, the students began clearing the area, heading to the next match location.

Iida and Midoriya caught up with Uraraka as she made her way across the camp with the rest of the class. She smiled bleakly at her two friends. "Hey Iida, that was a great match! You guys were awesome!"

Iida pumped his fist victoriously, "It was no easy feat, I assure you. Kaminari and Jiro are a fearsome team!"

Midoriya and Uraraka laughed awkwardly. It was very much like Iida to talk up his classmates, but they would be lying if they didn't recognize that Iida and Asui absolutely pummelled their opponents from the first moment of the match.

"So Uraraka," Midoriya smiled at the chocolate haired girl, "I haven't seen you much today. Are you and Bakugo ready for our match?"

Uraraka opened her mouth to answer, but instead saw Bakugo glaring at her from a distance away. "Well…" She started, choosing her words wisely, "I'd say we are."

Iida and Midoriya gave her questioning looks. Pretty much anyone could tell when Uraraka was lying, but they opted not to push it.

Good friend and class watchman Iida decided it would be best to change the topic of their discussion for Uraraka's sake. "I wonder what Kirishima and Tokoyami's plans are for their match."

Uraraka silently thanked Iida for his forward thinking and chimed in, "I'm more interested in how Todoroki and Ojiro were able to combine their quirks."

Midoriya tapped his chin absentmindedly, "I'll bet that Ojiro is going to be their offense and Todoroki will be defense."

Iida quirked an eyebrow at Midoriya, "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Not particularly," Midoriya answered. "Ojiro's quirk isn't a spectacle like Todoroki's, meaning he has to get in close for every confrontation. At this point in our training, he's going to be nimble, quick, and hard to match in close quarters. Todoroki will be his back-up while Ojiro goes for Kirishima and Tokoyami's flags. Besides, Todoroki's quirk is more suited for long range attacks so he'll be able to keep the other team at bay."

"Hmm…" Iida responded thoughtfully, "That is a very interesting observation, Midoriya. But I still don't see how Ojiro will be able to get in close with Tokoyami. His quirk is also suited for long range and that's not mentioning Kirishima's hardening. I don't know if Ojiro will be able to get in the range he would need to be."

Uraraka twisted her mouth in thought, "I think that Ojiro will probably go for Kirishima first and Todoroki will keep Tokoyami busy. Kirishima's quirk is not made for defense, so I think all Ojiro will have to do is distract him long enough to get his flag."

Midoriya brightened up at Uraraka's examination, "That's what I think too!"

"Well, I wouldn't sell Tokoyami and Kirishima so short," Iida looked stumped. "Both of them are also very strong and very clever. I doubt they'd let Todoroki separate them so easily."

Uraraka nodded in agreement, "And we still haven't really had a chance to see Dark Shadow's limits just yet. Tokoyami could have an ace up his sleeve and we wouldn't even know it."

Class 1-A reached a somewhat small field as the early evening sun started to cast longer shadows on the ground. The area was green and grassy, but also brittle and dry.

Uraraka and her two friends sat down under the shade of a large tree to watch the showdown between two duos. She dared a glance toward Bakugo, finding him leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. His eyes were fixated on the field as the match was getting close to starting. Sero was busy babysitting the momentarily brain-dead Kaminari and it was visibly irritating the explosive blonde.

"Fuckin' can it, Sparky!" Bakugo barked at Kaminari. "Quit fuckin' around like an idiot!"

Uraraka inwardly chuckled as she watched Sero attempt to calm the situation.

"Second match," Present Mic boomed, "BEGIN!"

Uraraka's eyes snapped back to the match to see Todoroki and Ojiro begin a full sprint toward their opponents.

"Dark shadow!" Tokoyami utilized his quirk to try and intercept the opposing team. Todoroki immediately threw up an icy wall between them and the shadow-user. "Go Ojiro!"

Ojiro split from his teammate and locked his eyes on Kirishima.

"Look out, Tokoyami!" Kirishima hollered and sprinted toward the ice wall. He collided with it, using his hardening quirk to shatter his way through, effectively nullifying Todoroki's defense. The wall tumbled down behind him as Tokoyami caught up to his teammate.

"They're going to go after Todoroki," Midoriya blurted out with a surprised tone.

"Gutsy," Iida replied, "But a solid plan. It would have been too obvious if they went after Ojiro."

Uraraka licked her dry lips, "And they figured out that Todoroki's quirk is disabled. He can't use his left side in a field like this or he'll light the entire place up."

"So they only have to avoid his ice attacks…" Midoriya added.

"I have to hand it to Tokoyami and Kirishima," Iida chimed back in. "That's pretty smart."

Kirishima and Tokoyami began making it beeline for the fire and ice user, narrowly avoiding the ice attacks as they went.

"Ojiro!" Todoroki shouted, continuing his attacks on the duo.

Kirishima looked up just in time to see the blonde with a tail falling in on them from above. "What the hell?!"

"Dark shadow!" Tokoyami called, but the shadow's response was a moment too late.

Todoroki took their moment of distraction for his advantage and threw up another ice wall between Kirishima and Tokoyami. This wall came up much thicker, but shorter.

Ojiro landed successfully on Kirishima, knocking the redhead to the ground. Kirishima's hardening quirk broke his fall. Kirishima squirmed away from Ojiro in just enough time to protect his flag tied to his belt.

"I'm not done yet, Ojiro!" Kirishima snarled and prepared for their inevitable brawl, punching his right fist into his left hand.

In the meantime, Tokoyami's shadow had run itself into the wall during the process of Todoroki putting it up.

Todoroki began running toward Tokoyami, laying out an icy path as he went. He dodged the shadow's attacks as they came with icicle spikes and large icy boulders. The chill on his right arm was already beginning to creep in on him. Todoroki knew he had to keep Tokoyami busy for the time being until Ojiro could get his hands on Kirishima's flag. Then, all they'd have to do is run down the clock.

Tokoyami's shadow was weak in the sunny field, so he turned toward the treeline, Todoroki in icy pursuit. If he could get into the shadows of the treeline, then his attacks might be able to bust Todoroki's ice wall defenses.

Todoroki sent a whirlwind of ice attacks Tokoyami's way but they were narrowly dodged. As they approached the treeline, Tokoyami turned to face his pursuer and began setting the stage for his own attacks. He could only hope that Kirishima was holding his own against Ojiro.

"Alright tail-man," Kirishima taunted, "Bring it on!"

Ojiro calmly waited for the redhead to come in for the attack first. "It would be much easier if you just handed your flag to me now."

"Hah!" Kirishima laughed, "I'm going to kick your ass!" Kirishima lunged for his classmate, attempting to land a rock-hard punch.

Ojiro narrowly dodged the attack and let Kirishima fly by him.

Kirishima grunted angrily and whirled back around, "Smooth, but the next one won't be so easy!"

Ojiro smiled cheekily back at Kirishima, waving his opponent's flag in the air provocatively. "Thanks!"

"Whaa?!" Kirishima looked down at his belt to see an absence of his flag. "Hey! Give that back!" Kirishima bellowed and hurled himself back at Ojiro, but he was thrown back by the use of Ojiro's strong tail.

"Sorry Kirishima, but I have somewhere to be." Ojiro nodded and took off in the direction of Todoroki and Tokoyami.

"Damn that sneaky bastard!" Kirishima screeched and sprinted after him.

The fight at the treeline was getting haywire. Todoroki was struggling to draw Tokoyami back out into the sun and the chill on his right side was getting to it's limit. Both contenders had taken some hits.

"Todoroki!" Ojiro shouted as he ran toward them.

The fire and ice user glanced behind him for a single moment to see his teammate coming to rejoin him, Kirishima's flag in his hand.

"Finally…" Todoroki breathed before he was hit hard and thrown back a few yards. He looked up to see Tokoyami's shadow retreating. Thankfully, the shadow hadn't been able to grab his flag.

Kirishima was quickly chasing Ojiro down, "Tokoyami! We have to get a flag right now!"

"Right!" Tokoyami responded as he noticed Ojiro and Todoroki beginning a retreat back into the field.

The shadow and hardening duo set a direct route for Todoroki once again. This time, Kirishima blasted through Todoroki's weakening attacks and Tokoyami's shadow kept Ojiro at bay, throwing their tailed classmate around like a pinata. Tokoyami was glad that he had somewhat re-energized his shadow while he took refuge in the treeline.

"Now it's getting down to the wire," Iida said excitedly, anticipation in the air.

Uraraka was also enthralled with the match, "It's so weird to see Todoroki struggle."

"At the beginning, Todoroki's ice was tough and hard to break through. Now, Kirishima is busting right through them like they're made of paper." Midoriya added his thoughts.

"He's getting to his limit," Iida finalized.

The trio watched as Kirishima and Tokoyami narrowed the gap between themselves and Todoroki all the way up to the last leg before Kirishima found an opening and tackled the fire and ice user. Just as he was reaching for Todoroki's flag, Present Mic interrupted the match.

"That's time!" The words boomed across the field followed by a tense moment of silence.

"Todoroki and Ojiro are the winners! Talk about a close one, folks!" Present Mic continued, unaware of the slack-jawed students that had been so invested in the match.

Everyone's eyes settled on Kirishima, who was still straddling Todoroki, his hand hovering over the flag they needed in order to tie the match. They all watched as he processed the ending of the fight and slowly stepped off of Todoroki. "What the actual hell! I was so close!"

Tokoyami came up beside his teammate and patted the redhead on the shoulder, "If we had only one a few more minutes, I think we could have won."

"Exactly!" Kirishima bared his teeth angrily. "This is some bullshit!"

The defeated team walked away from the match with frustration in their eyes and the winning team walked away with near-defeat in theirs.

"That won't be a fight I forget," Midoriya noted. "I'll have to make sure to write down everything I saw."

Uraraka silently agreed with his first point as the class began to move on to the next match-up.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _I'm not going to be following the Manga too much because I'm not sure if everyone has read it. Thanks for reading so far and I'm aiming to make sure I update this fic pretty often for you. Please let me know what you think! It is much appreciated._

 _Thanks!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	5. Make it Work!

Toru and Sero narrowly defeated Ashido and Aoyama as the sun drooped lower in the sky. Unfortunately for all the class, the heat still remained. They were more than halfway through their match-ups now and Uraraka started to feel a pang in her gut as the class moved on to the next match.

' _Oh man, oh man, oh man! Bakugo and I are next and we have no game plan!'_ Uraraka was not only sweating from the sun, but also from stress.

Aizawa led the class toward the lake and pointed out at the water. "This is where team Bakugo and Uraraka will face team Midoriya and Yaoyorozu."

Uraraka stared out at the lazy waves, "We're battling on the water?" The words weren't directed at any specific person but she still hoped for an answer. Aizawa wasn't kidding when he said the landscapes wouldn't be particularly useful for our quirks. She tried to shake her worried thoughts out of her head.

"Good luck, Uraraka!" Midoriya smiled from his spot beside her. "I'll see you out there, okay?"

Uraraka laughed airily, "Y-you too, Deku!" She turned around wildly to see Bakugo already heading to their starting post on the south shore. "Wait up, Bakugo!" She breathed frantically and chased after the hot-heat.

Midoriya hovered for a moment as a mild concern for his friend washed over his face. This was going to be a long and tough fight, he was sure of that much.

Bakugo didn't slow his pace as he began hyping himself up for the fight. ' _I'm going to trash that fuckin' Deku and that nuthead Youyor-whatever-the-fuck-her-name-is. I'll send them both back home in wheelchairs tonight.'_

"Bakugo!" Uraraka pleaded with her teammate. "We need a plan!"

"Fuck off!" Bakugo spat back to her. "I got this."

Uraraka scrunched her face up, "Stop this, Bakugo! We won't win if we don't work together."

"What did I just fuckin' say?!" Bakugo flexed his shoulders in frustration. "I don't like to repeat myself!"

Uraraka angrily fired back, "Fine! If you want to act like a jerk, then you can lose like a jerk!"

Bakugo blocked her out completely as they arrived at their starting posts. He clenched his fists as he stared down Deku and Yaoyorozu menacingly across the water. His eyes blazed with the spirit of the competition. ' _Get ready to die, Deku. I'm coming for payback this time.'_

"Fourth match… BEGIN!" Present Mic's voice thundered over the waves.

Just as the time started, Bakugo sprung off the ground propelling himself with his explosions. The water splashed up wildly as he rocketed toward his rivals. "Here I come!" His voice was laced with vengeance and passion.

Deku immediately reacted, firing himself off into Bakugo's direction to counter attack. Yaoyorozu instantly began utilizing her creation quirk on the shore, quickly creating a blow-up boat and a tool for Midoriya.

Uraraka stood frozen for a few moments, contemplating her first move. Without the support of her teammate, she wasn't sure what her plan was.

"SMAAAASH!" Midoriya hollered as he came into contact with Bakugo, who was equally ready.

"DIE!" Bakugo howled and fired off one of his heavily loaded explosions in Midoriya's direction.

Both boys were thrown back by the impacts of the other's attack. Bakugo pummelled into the water, mirroring Midoriya.

"Bakugo!" Uraraka called worriedly, activating her quirk on herself and gunning for her teammate.

"Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu also called out to her teammate as she loaded herself onto her boat and started toward her teammate. "I finished your support gear!"

"Thanks Yao-momo!" Midoriya replied as he swam to meet her halfway from the shore.

Uraraka moved herself as quickly as she could toward her teammate, "Bakugo, let me use my quirk on you! I can keep you up while you fight Deku!"

Bakugo threw her the dirtiest look he could muster, his eyes burning with fury. "Fuck off, air-brain! Leave me the hell alone!"

Uraraka's voice caught in her throat. "I want to win, Bakugo! Don't you?!"

Just as her teammate was about to reply, their attention was deterred to see Midoriya leaving the water with a jetpack on his back. He circled around in the air for a moment, getting used to the new tech. "Thanks for this!" He smiled at his teammate.

"You get Bakugo's flag and I'll go for Uraraka!"

"That shit-face isn't getting anywhere near me!" Bakugo barked ferociously.

"Bakugo-" Uraraka started but was cut off.

"Zip it!" Bakugo spat at her. "I don't need your help!"

Uraraka felt a spark of determination and courage in her gut, "No! _You_ shut up! I'm not losing today, so you're just going to have to buck up and put up with me!" She reached her hands out and grabbed Bakugo by the shoulders, activating her quirk.

As they rose out of the water, Uraraka recited a short plan. "I'll keep you up so you'll have to use your explosions to go anywhere from here. I'll go take on Yaoyorozu, but you'll have to be fast taking care of Deku because I can't hold my quirk for the rest of the time in the match."

"Whatever!" Bakugo snarled, "Fuckin' get down there and fight then!"

Uraraka eyed Yaoyorozu on the boat across the water and Midoriya hovering in the air. She contemplated how she'd get to Yaoyorozu and take her down, but as she tried to organize her jumbled mind, Midoriya hurtled himself toward them, gearing up for another attack.

"I don't know how I can get down to her without her hitting me with an attack!" Uraraka cried suddenly.

"No time to talk!" Bakugo jeered and grabbed her by one of her wrists, which were hovering above his shoulders. He yanked her roughly to face her back toward him. "Get ready!"

"Get ready?!" Uraraka squeaked out before realizing his intentions. "Bakugo, no!"

"Too late!" Bakugo bellowed and hurled her down toward the water with the force of an explosion. She rocketed at a near break-neck speed toward Yaoyorozu, screaming horrified the entire way down.

"How am I supposed to land?!"

Yaoyorozu's expression was unmatched while she watched unbelievably as the blur of chocolate hair come barrelling toward her. "What in the world?!" She cranked the rudder of the boat and steered it out of Uraraka's way in the nick of time.

The brunette hit the water with a force that made the black-haired recommend student wince and worry about her opponent's well being.

Midoriya watched in equal horror as his friend and opponent was fired toward his teammate indiscriminately and completely unprepared. He didn't have time to think as he came up on Bakugo, "What was that?!" Midoriya shouted, concern mixed into his tone. "You'll pay for that, Kacchan!"

Bakugo balanced himself in the air and smiled eerily at Midoriya, "You ready to die, Deku?!" His palms sparked and warmed up for another attack. He planned on doing more than take Midoriya's flag. He planned to completely annihilate his childhood classmate.

Midoriya reached Bakugo just as Bakugo fired off an attack aimed for his face. "SMASH!" His electrified fist met the heat of Bakugo's flames. He could smell his hair singe as he pushed through the blonde's attack, hoping to land his hit. His fist reached it's target, landing a partial hit on Bakugo's shoulder, blowing the blonde back a decent amount. Midoriya gassed his jetpack again, hoping to snag Bakugo's flag while he was disoriented.

Bakugo stopped his tumble through the air with a series of controlled explosions, sending himself back toward Midoriya. "That all you got, Deku?! My grandma hits harder than that!"

"And yet you threw Uraraka down like a madman!" Midoriya fired back, maintaining his determination against the blonde explosive.

Bakugo sneered at Midoriya before replying cooly, "You need to quit thinking that girl isn't tough as nails, Deku!" Bakugo sparked his hands, getting ready to fire off another attack against the One-for-all user. "You better stop thinking about her and start taking this fight more seriously!"

Uraraka finally resurfaced, gasping manically for air. ' _What the crap, Bakugo?!"_ She took a moment to breath before seeing Yaoyorozu's stunned expression only a few feet away. ' _Right, I need to take down Yaoyorozu and we can win!'_

Uraraka forcefully lifted herself from the water with the aid of her quirk. To her surprise she noticed that the use of her quirk on Bakugo was already starting to slow her down a little. She floated easily toward the boat in time to see Yaoyorozu's expression turn from surprised to determined.

"Come to get a piece, Uraraka?" She taunted the brunette, her creation quirk began to mold something for her.

"You know it!" Uraraka fired back defiantly. "Surrender now or regret it later!"

Yaoyorozu laughed trivially, "I will do no such thing."

Uraraka smirked as she reached the boat and plopped down on it across from Yaoyorozu, the space between them becoming much more limited. The boat rocked with the new weight, "I guess you want to do things the hard way, then?"

"Damn straight," Yaoyorozu gritted her teeth as she finished her creation. A new weapon, a thin but sturdy wooden stick. She twirled it in her hands as she took a defensive pose. "Are you sure you want to take me on, Uraraka?"

Uraraka met Yaoyorozu's fierce gaze, "You bet I do."

The girls both shouted cries of war as they lunged at each other. Yaoyorozu immediately attacked with her weapon, swinging it toward Uraraka's side with the entire strength of her arm. The stick sickeningly slapped against Uraraka's forearm as she was barely able to block the attack in time. Before Uraraka could land a hit in response though, Yaoyorozu was already sailing over her, landing on the opposite side of the boat from where she started.

"Fast," Yaoyorozu held the stick in front of her, parallel to her face, "But not fast enough."

"We'll see about that!" Uraraka lobbed back as she held her fists in front of her face in an american boxing form. ' _I've got to protect my head. If I get knocked out, then I won't be able to use my quirk on Bakugo anymore. If that happens, then we're definitely screwed! I must beat Yaoyorozu. If I do, then maybe Bakugo will restore his confidence in me.'_

"Don't make me laugh, Uraraka!" Yaoyorozu smiled. "Your quirk is useless against me if you have to get in close enough to grab my flag." She displayed the flag openly in front of Uraraka. The presentation was almost insulting to the brunette.

Uraraka discarded the last comment and made her move. She rushed Yaoyorozu, effectively throwing the boat off balance. Uraraka used her quirk on herself in the blink of an eye and lifted herself off the boat, sending it rocking wildly under Yaoyorozu's feet.

"Whoa!" Yaoyorozu's tone was surprised and unprepared as she fought the boat for balance.

' _Now's my chance!'_ Uraraka reached pleadingly for Yaoyorozu's blue flag, begging her fingers to make contact. A sound of sheer determination escaped her lips as she lunged for her target.

Yaoyorozu knew in a split second that she'd have to sacrifice her balance for her flag's protection. She swatted Uraraka's hand blindly and stumbled to the floor of the boat, amazed that she wasn't thrown overboard. The flag grazed Uraraka's fingertips, but remained barely out of her reach.

' _Crap!'_ Uraraka mentally berated herself for a moment before circling around in the air. She glanced up for a split second to check on Bakugo's progress but only saw clouds of smoke and heard the sonic booms of his explosions. He was getting awfully heavy for her quirk to hold up.

Midoriya rushed Bakugo again and again, bearing the brunt of Bakugo's explosive onslaught of attacks. All he had to do was confiscate Bakugo's flag and he was sure they could win. He dared a look down to check on Yaoyorozu and was surprised to see his teammate struggling against Uraraka's hand-to-hand combat. He contemplated how wise he'd be to bring his fight down to her level.

"Pay attention, Deku!" Bakugo roared, only a few feet away from Midoriya. He fired off another violent attack in Midoriya's direction.

Midoriya cursed himself for getting distracted as he was blown back by Bakugo's frenzied discharge. He noticed that his jetpack was beginning to whine in their struggle. It wasn't going to take much more before the support item would be rendered useless. They had risen up a few hundred more feet during the heat of his battle against the prideful hot-head. The realization dawned on him that he had to take care of the blonde now or suffer a dreadfully long fall to the lake's surface.

"You afraid or somethin'?!" Bakugo cackled devilishly, springing to meet his opponent once more. "Or is your backpack finally succumbing to my explosions?!"

Midoriya gritted his teeth determinedly, "I won't lose to you, Kacchan!" He fired up the jetpack to full power and gunned it for his former childhood friend. "ONE FOR ALL!"

Bakugo fired off an enormously explosive counter attack in an attempt to keep Midoriya's attack at bay, but was shocked to see the now blackened Midoriya haphazardly forcing his way through his flames. Bakugo barely had the time to dodge, but felt his flag being pulled from his waist. He reached for it, but Midoriya was already long gone by then.

"You fuckin' prick!" Bakugo roared, the anger in his voice boiling over. "I'll fuckin' KILL YOU!" He fired up his explosive rockets and began a hot pursuit of Midoriya, pushing the limits of his explosive quirk as he rocketed after his opponent and new mortal enemy. He followed after Midoriya feverishly as they descended at an alarming speed toward their teammates on the boat.

Back on the water, Uraraka was gasping in exasperation as her duel with her bunkmate continued to no avail. The stress of holding Bakugo in the air was beginning to slow her down significantly.

Yaoyorozu suddenly laughed happily, "Looks like Midoriya got the better of Bakugo!"

Uraraka swung her head around to see Deku attempting to outrun her teammate, a red flag in his hands. ' _This is starting to get bad. There can't be much time left… Maybe two minutes or so? I have to get Yaoyorozu's flag now or we're going to lose!'_ She quickly racked her brain for options but only one stood out. ' _I'm sorry, Bakugo. I hope you understand!'_ Uraraka pressed her fingers together quickly and regretfully slammed her eyes closed. "Release!"

"What the FUCK?!" Was the last thing she heard Bakugo screech before she sprang into action, rejuvenated by the alleviation of her quirk's use. Before Yaoyorozu had time to react, Uraraka tackled her opponent, sending them both into the chilly water. They struggled in the waves, but Uraraka refused to give up now. The flag was in her sight and within her reach! Just as she reached for it, the two battling boys hurtled in on their position and crash landed into the water beside them, destroying the boat with sheer force and sending the two girls reeling in the water. The waves battered them, trying to swallow them up, as they both fought for air while battling each other off.

"TIME IS UP!"

The entire class was on their feet, completely engaged in the so far unknown results of the match. They manically whispered to one another, trying to pin down the winners.

"Another photo finish! It looks like Team Midoriya-" Present Mic suddenly cut himself off. "Wait, what's this?! Hold on to your seats, ladies and gentlemen! It looks like we have an upset!"

Uraraka threw her arm out of the water, clutching a blue flag over her head triumphantly.

"IT'S A TIE!" Present Mic boomed over the waves.

"Wha-What?!" Yaoyorozu cried as she felt around her waist for her flag. "How did you-?"

Uraraka smiled cheerily at her bunkmate, "I just got lucky, I guess!"

The entire class was stunned on the shoreline. The results were a shock that none of them expected.

"A tie?!" Kirishima bellowed.

"That really was a spectacle of a match!" Iida cheered supportively. "Both teams performed wonderfully!"

Mineta drooled absentmindedly, "Uraraka and Yaoyorozu really are some hot badasses."

Ashido gave the purple pervert an unmatched stink eye, "Okay, you're officially disgusting."

Jiro nodded in agreement, "You can say that again. I'm just really surprised at Uraraka. She almost kicked the crap out of Yaoyorozu and she was using her quirk for most of the match."

"She's tough and smokin'!" Kaminari agreed, his boyish charm failed to faze the two ladies. "Man, she really has come a long way since the sports festival!"

"Bakugo is going to be none-too-pleased," Todoroki muttered from his spot beside Tokoyami.

The dark shadow user nodded in agreement and watched as the blonde psycho swam angrily toward the shoreline, followed closely by his three classmates.

When they reached the shore, Uraraka joined her teammate and smiled at him cheerily. "Sorry that I had to let you fall, but I say that was a great match! Don't you think so, Bakugo?"

"Tch," Bakugo sneered and ignored her outstretched hand. "If it's not a win, then it's a loss."

Uraraka's face fell slightly, "Whatever floats your boat, then."

As Bakugo marched away in wet fury, the class happily surrounded Uraraka, but their praises fell on nearly deaf ears as she worriedly watched her now former teammate leave the shore. She absentmindedly thanked her classmates for their overwhelming compliments as questions filled her head. ' _Why can't he just try to have fun like the rest of us? Is he really that determined to win all the time?'_

Midoriya walked up with Yaoyorozu following behind. "That was an awesome match, Uraraka. I can't believe how strong you've gotten!"

Uraraka was shaken from her thick thoughts, "Thanks Deku! I could say the same thing to you guys! I thought for sure you had us beat!"

Yaoyorozu took her place beside her bunkmate and leaned an elbow on Uraraka's head, "No way! I was having a super hard time holding you off, even while you were weighing yourself down with your quirk. You're pretty amazing, you know?"

Uraraka blushed at the compliment, "Thanks guys! That means a lot to me!"

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Phew! Here's a slightly longer chapter for you guys! Here's a quick shout out to UraVityeXploS'n for your super nice review! Thanks for that :)_

 _I'll probably have another chapter up for you guys tomorrow :)_

 _Thanks a bunch!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	6. Winding Down

The final match came to a close as the sun began to disappear over the horizon, taking cover in the mountains across the valley. Reminiscent of Iida and Asui, Sato and Shoji dominated Mineta and Koda and the match seemed like it had ended right as it had begun. All the students were overjoyed that the long day training and battling was getting near the end and the cruel hot sun was relenting it's scorching rays.

Aizawa and Present Mic gathered the exhausted students to begin addressing the winners and losers. Present Mic took the lead, "Winners, congratulations! You guys can take it easy tonight and you have tons of free time to kill while dinner is being prepared!"

"Losers," Aizawa cut in to the dismay of half the students, "And the teams that tied will be cooking dinner tonight for your classmates and yourselves."

"We have to help too?" Uraraka muttered. "Oh man…" Her imagination had been running rampant with ideas of getting a chance to bathe and rest before dinner, but those dreams had now been dashed.

"You all know what to do," Aizawa closed and left the students to their own devices.

"Well then," Yaoyorozu weakly pumped her fist, "I guess we should get cracking."

The four losing teams and the two tied teams glumly made their way to the mess hall to begin their arduous task of frying up the fish and dishing up sides.

"This totally sucks!" Kaminari groaned as he fileted the fish with his disgruntled former teammate.

Jiro huffed in exasperation, "Maybe we just aren't a good match."

Kaminari eyed the earphone jacked girl beside him with a confused look, "How'd ya mean? I thought we were great."

"Stop talking and filet!" Ashido cut in. "The longer we take to do this, the less time we get to relax."

Uraraka and Yaoyorozu gave their pink classmate raised eyebrows. Ashido wasn't normally stern with her classmates. Little did they know, she was just dying to get out of speaking range of Aoyama so she as busting through the tasks as quickly as she could.

"Argh! Damn it!" Bakugo's yells could be heard throughout the kitchen. "Why the fuck won't this damn rice just come out right?!"

Kirishima wandered over to see what Bakugo was doing and saw a pile of half-cooked rice. "Dude, do you not know how to cook rice?"

Bakugo cranked his neck to stare deafeningly at Kirishima, "Do I look like a damned idiot to you?! Of course I can cook rice! It's this damn rice that we have, it sucks ass!"

Kirishima backed off a little, "Yeah whatever man."

Uraraka paused her conversation with Yaoyorozu and Midoriya as she looked over at Bakugo and Kirishima's encounter. She paused from peeling potatoes as Bakugo sent Kirishima away and started another batch of rice, his eyes gleamed with deathly determination.

Uraraka flitted her eyes back to her task, trying to engage in the conversation again. A few minutes later she spotted Bakugo lifting the lid off the pan of rice to peer inside. She almost rolled her eyes as his idiocy and dropped her peeler. She smiled at Yaoyorozu and Midoriya, "I'll be right back, okay?"

Her two friends nodded briefly as their eyes followed Uraraka to Bakugo's station.

When she reached him, she offered him a friendly smile, "Hey Bakugo, I can see that the rice isn't coming out the way you want."

"Shut up." Bakugo bit back, his attention focused on the pan before him.

Uraraka caught his arm as he reached for the pan's lid again. "Not so fast."

Bakugo broke his demonic glare with the pan to offer the same glare toward her. "What the fuck do you want?!" He shook his arm out of her grasp, stunned at her boldness.

Uraraka only smiled back, unafraid of his eye's warnings. "I actually know how to cook, you know? Let me help."

Bakugo resented that statement but didn't open his mouth.

"Look," Uraraka pointed at the pile of soiled rice he had made earlier. "Rice needs lots of steam to cook, so every time you take the lid off, all the steam escapes. That's why you just have to leave it alone and let it cook."

Kirishima looked up from his place frying the fish to see Bakugo stand back and let Uraraka clamp the lid shut on the pot tight and set a timer for him. He spied more and saw Uraraka smile nonchalantly at Bakugo and craned ears to hear what they were saying.

"That's all there is to it," Uraraka started the timer.

Bakugo crossed his arms, his expression never wavering from annoyance. "Yeah whatever, beat it."

Uraraka wiggled her fingers at him as she walked back to peel veggies. "Let me know if you need anymore help!"

Bakugo was irked, declaring he didn't need any more help but he had to admit that the standing around and waiting made him feel useless.

"Yo man," Kirishima called to Bakugo. "Wanna come help me in the meantime? This is a lot of work for a single man!"

Mineta had been trying to help, but he was barely able to see over the counters so he was pretty helpless in the kitchen as a whole. He simply cleaned up after everyone as they went now.

Bakugo stared at the redhead for a moment, contemplating how generous he was feeling tonight. "Fine, rocks-for-brains. If you really need help that bad."

Kirishima ignored Bakugo's snide remark and offered the blonde a spatula. "I know you struggle cooking rice, so can I trust you with the fish?"

Bakugo's eyes widened with rage, "You're the one who asked for my help!" He moved to throw the spatula back at Kirishima, "You can cook this shit by yourself!"

Kirishima gave the spatula back to Bakugo, "Dude, I was just kidding. Relax, would ya?"

The pair started working together flipping the fish and cooking freshly filleted ones. The silence between the two friends was loud.

"So…" Kirishima started hesitantly. "You and Uraraka kicked ass today."

Bakugo opted not to react to this comment by Kirishima, focusing all of his anger and rage into flipping the fish. The only reaction he gave was clenching his jaw.

Kirishima twisted his mouth in disappointment, knowing the blonde was notoriously difficult to praise. "How'd things go with you and her?"

Bakugo finally handed Kirishima a dangerous look, "What the fuck are you getting at?"

Kirishima suddenly realized how his question sounded, "No, no! I mean, how was it working with her?"

Bakugo held his pissed-off glare for a few moments before answering, "Peachy. Now fuck off."

"Ahh, come on!" Kirishima elbowed Bakugo teasingly, "You can tell me."

"I said fuck off!" Bakugo spat in reply.

Kirishima shrugged, now unafraid of his hot-blooded classmate and friend. "Whatever, man. I just thought you and her were like, kind of friends now. "

Bakugo seethed, "You thought wrong, fuck-face." ' _Like I'd be friends with any of these idiots, especially one of Deku's fangirls.'_

…

A little while later, dinner was successfully served. The cooking was pretty sub-par and almost all the fish that Bakugo had cooked came out burnt, but everybody's bellies were filled by the end. The losers had dealt with a little heckling from the winners about their food quality, but Bakugo was quick to shut them down after threatening to kill them all.

Uraraka was surprised by how much food she had been able to put down and she happily replaced her tray. It was finally time for her to relax.

"Nothing sounds better than a bath, eh?" Yaoyorozu teased her bunkmate.

Uraraka nodded lazily, "I can't lie, that sounds amazing."

The girls skipped back to their cabin for their toiletries and their towels before making it beeline for the bath house. On their way, they waved down Jiro, Ashido, Asui, and Toru and opted to invite them to join. Ashido, Jiro, and Asui agreed, but Toru had bathed earlier so she declined.

The hot springs behind the bath house were separated by a tall wooden wall. Boys to one side and girls to the other. When Uraraka was finally able to sink down under the steaming water and lean her back against the warm rocks, she sighed contently. "I can't remember the last time I got a chance to use a hot spring."

Yaoyorozu settled in nearby with Ashido, "I have one at home that I clearly don't use enough."

Ashido shook her head astoundedly, "I really need to become your best friend, Yaoyorozu. That way, I can come over and use your hot spring every day."

The three girls laughed girlishly as Asui and Jiro came to join. The five of them settled in and chatted pointlessly about never leaving the springs.

"So," Ashido changed the subject suddenly, "How did you all like your partners today?"

Asui tapped her chin with a fat fingertip, "Iida and I worked well together. I guess our personalities just clicked or something -ribbit."

Jiro nodded in agreement, "You guys totally kicked our butts. Working with Kaminari is like working with a elementary school student. We definitely got along fine, but as soon as a butterfly or something would fly by, he'd be distracted."

"I think he probably just wanted to spend time with you," Ashido chimed in. "If you want to talk about distracted teammates, then don't get me started on Aoyama. Our personalities don't mix so well at all. He's all glamour and perfection! Somehow we managed to compromise, but we still lost."

Yaoyorozu decided now would be a good time to jump in, "Midoriya is a great partner. He's Mr. Strategy and he has a butt load of power. I'm just relieved that he managed to get a handle on his quirk after all this time. To say we worked well together is an understatement."

Uraraka clasped her face in her warm hands. "Ugh, don't rub it in guys!"

All the girls looked over at the chocolate-haired girl. "Oh yeah," Ashido started. "I bet working with Bakugo was not easy."

"You don't even want to know," Uraraka groaned. "I am just so glad that it's all over now."

Asui looked somewhat surprised, "Well it didn't show in your guys' match. You two were great, ribbit."

Yaoyorozu nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you guys gave Midoriya and I a run for our money. For a moment, even I thought we were going to lose to you and Bakugo!"

Uraraka shook her head wildly, "The entire thing was a total and complete mess."

"That's tough," Ashido swam over to the brunette to pat her on the head. "Did you guys do okay training for it all day?"

Uraraka laughed out loud, "No way! He was a rude, pessimistic jerk all day! I kept having to agree to fight him in order to get us back on track. He's like a freakin' bull in a china shop!"

Uraraka knew her words were harsh, but she just needed to vent. The girls all listened as she released more of her frustrations about the explosive blonde. She figured that getting it all off her chest would help her relax.

As Uraraka finished unloading her day's frustrations, Jiro decided to give her thoughts. "Well despite everything, I bet Bakugo definitely respects you now."

Yaoyorozu nodded in agreement, "Yeah, without your quirk, I bet Bakugo would have had a really hard time against Midoriya."

Ashido giggled for her brunette friend. "You definitely saved his butt and you tied the score. Bakugo just needs to remember that he's the one who let Midoriya take his flag. He can't blame the tie on you."

Uraraka shrugged, "I know that, but it still feels like I let him down somehow."

Ashido smiled cheerily at Uraraka, "Don't sweat it anymore, okay? You were awesome out there!" She pulled Uraraka's cheeks into a haphazard smile. "We just want our cute little Uraraka back."

…

Meanwhile on the other side of the wall, the boys were settling in for a bath themselves. Kaminari floated around lazily on his back while Kirishima swiped his damp and matted hair out of his eyes.

"Ahhh…" Sero sighed happily as he relaxed against a rock. "It just doesn't get any better than this."

Tokoyami, Todoroki, and Midoriya settled in together, talking about their day training and the results of their battles. Bakugo opted to soak by himself and ignore his male classmates. His typical angry aura no longer bothered anyone as they messed around and wound down after the long day.

"What I'm after is right on the other side of this here wall…" Mineta's tone was scandalous and determined. His hands were on his hips as he tried to organize his hormonal thoughts into a plan.

This caught the attention of everybody in the boys' hot spring. They all crooked their heads in horror as Mineta crushed his ear against the wooden wall.

"Ah yes," Mineta drooled. "They're really there! I can hear them talking!"

"Bad idea," Todoroki spoke calmly.

"Amazing idea!" Mineta beamed. "Oh man, they're talking about us!" If Mineta didn't have their complete attention before, he definitely had it now.

"No way," Kaminari shook his head and swam toward the wall. "I gotta hear this."

A note of curiosity began to settle over the hot spring while Kaminari joined Mineta. "Yeah, he's right. They're all talking about us."

It wasn't long before Kirishima had his ear pressed against the wall too. The first thing he heard made him bust up laughing. "Jiro is spot on!" Kirishima pointed an accusing finger at Kaminari. "You kinda are like an elementary student!"

Kaminari turned a profuse red, "Why would she say that?! I thought we worked super good together!" But then Kaminari heard Ashido's response about him wanting to spend time with Jiro and he froze up. "Okay, not true!"

"SHHH!" Mineta scolded them, "I can't hear them!"

The rest of the boys in the hot spring watched slack-jawed at the trio of eavesdroppers.

"Midoriya!" Kirishima noted. "Yaoyorozu says you're totally awesome. You're Mr. Strategy!"

Midoriya's eyes widened at the compliment, unsure how to respond or process it. "O-oh, okay!"

"Shut up!" Kaminari hissed. "I think Uraraka is talking about Bakugo now."

Now everyone in the boys' hot spring was dead silent, lending aid to the eavesdroppers. Bakugo clenched his fists under the warm water, but waited impatiently to hear what Kirishima and Kaminari relayed back.

"BURN!" Kirishima cackled. "She says you guys were a total mess, Bakugo!"

Fury lit up like a wildfire in Bakugo's gut. ' _What the fuck?! A mess?!'_

Kirishima and Kaminari met each other's amused gazes before relaying the next tidbit. "This is exactly what she said," Kirishima offered up, trying to mimic Uraraka's frustratedly girly tone. "He was a rude, pessimistic jerk all day! I kept having to agree to fight him in order to get us back on track. He's like a freakin' bull in a china shop!"

Bakugo slapped the water with an angry fist, opening his mouth in protest, but the entire occupation of the hot spring shushed him simultaneously.

Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mineta pressed their ears harder against the wood to listen.

"Oh man…" Kaminari muttered as Uraraka carried on her listless complaints against Bakugo to her friends on the other side of the wall.

"We're just going to skip telling Bakugo the majority of that," Kirishima whispered back.

It wasn't long until they heard Jiro reply to the brunette, saying that Bakugo probably respects her now and Yaoyorozu's compliment to her quirk.

Kirishima relayed the new bits back to the group of boys, specifically Bakugo. "They're saying you probably respect her now and they also said that you wouldn't have been able to fight Midoriya without Uraraka's quirk."

Kaminari chimed in after that. "They also said that it's your fault that you guys tied, but Uraraka still thinks she let you down."

Bakugo was fired up now, unable to restrict his fury anymore. "Shut the FUCK UP and stop eavesdropping, you perverts!" Bakugo splashed his way out of the hot spring and grabbed his towel angrily. As he left, he glared at the three boys that were still hovering beside the wall. ' _That fuckin' gravity wench is going to pay in spades for this shit.'_

Midoriya watched as the furious Bakugo stormed out, cursing the entire way. The complement he'd received from Yaoyorozu was refreshing, and he was certainly grateful. However, he couldn't help but be concerned about Bakugo. He was not the kind of guy that took negative feedback very well and Midoriya contemplated following the hot-blooded blonde but decided to let him work out his anger first. It'd be pointless trying to talk to him now.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _I promised an update today, so here you go!_

 _Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think. :)_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	7. Enlightenment

As night fell, all the students settled into their bunks and the lights in the cabins went out one after another. Bakugo gruffly laid down in his bunk, his mind on fire. After Kirishima and Kaminari had come back from the hot springs, he had to threaten death in order for them to quit teasing him about Uraraka's harsh words. To say he was pissed about it was an understatement, he was chock full of ire. He was getting sick and tired of hearing her name. Uraraka this, Uraraka that… Did you and Uraraka work well together?

' _Ugh! This shit is so annoying!'_ Bakugo clenched his fists at his sides and bared his teeth. ' _Why does anybody even care?! People need to quit pretending she some frail weakling. No matter what that stupid air-head does, everybody just babys her!'_

Kirishima's obnoxious snore broke him from his weighty thoughts. Bakugo slammed his eyes closed and tried to tune out the red-head, but as his sleep deepened, so did his snores. Bakugo gnashed his teeth in restless annoyance, his fists closing tighter. ' _For fuck sake, I'm so pissed!'_ His fingernails dug into his palms.

Another deep and nasally snore shattered what little patience Bakugo had left. He growled audibly and shot out of bed, throwing the duvet to the side. He slipped on his sneakers and stormed out of the cabin in a frenzy of aimless rage. ' _That stupid girl fucked my entire day up!'_

As he left the cabin, a warm breeze tickled his cheeks. It was pitch black during the night, the paths unlit by any lights. A distance away he could see the light on the door of the mess hall and even further were the showers and toilets for the students. The moon shone lazily overhead, casting it's dim light over the trees and cabins. The moon didn't do much good to guide the brazen blonde, though.

Unsure of what to do with himself, Bakugo wandered past the other boys' cabins, the gravel crunching under his soles. Crickets hummed as he passed and the breeze brushed the trees. The soothing atmosphere helped calm Bakugo's electrified nerves, his anger starting to chip away to relaxation. He breathed a struggled sigh as he continued walking at a leisurely pace.

As he passed the final cabin full of his sleeping classmates, Bakugo turned toward the water. It lapped gently against the shoreline, slicking the sand down. The moon cast a lovely mirage across the water and in response, the water reflected the light. A fluffy haired shadow was seated on a tree stump a few feet from the water's reach.

Curious, Bakugo wandered over. His hands nestled themselves into the pockets of his sweats and his nose wrinkled at the smell of the lake. As he approached, a glint of green strands turned toward him. "Who's there?" Midoriya's voice asked quietly.

Bakugo stopped in his tracks, his sneakers leaving footprints in the packed down sand. "Deku…"

"Kacchan?" Midoriya replied, surprised to see the blonde maniac a few feet away. "What are you doing out here?"

Bakugo squinted, trying to make out Midoriya's face. "Fuck off, Deku."

Midoriya sighed discontentedly, "Still in a bad mood, huh?"

Bakugo felt a twinge of his annoyance return. "What's it to you?"

"I couldn't sleep," Midoriya started, his voice led the blonde to believe that his mind was somewhere far away.

"Fuckin' try bunking with Kirishima," Bakugo spat.

Both boys were quiet for a while. Midoriya was seated and staring out across the water and Bakugo was standing a few feet behind, staring at Midoriya. The benign waves sleepily pushed the shoreline as they remained in a tense silence.

"I actually wanted to talk to you, Kacchan." Midoriya dared a few words.

Bakugo pursed his lips, "What the hell could you want?"

"It's Uraraka…" Midoriya hesitated.

Bakugo rolled his eyes and stomped his foot against the sand, "Seriously, this shit?! Who the fuck doesn't want to 'talk' to me about that stupid girl?!"

Midoriya's eyes widened, but they were not seen by Bakugo. "What do you mean?"

Bakugo growled, his patience wearing thin. "Just can it, Deku! I don't want to hear about how I should be treating some girl."

"No," Midoriya corrected the blonde. "I wasn't going to do that."

"Then what is it?!" Bakugo's voice rose a few notches, his teeth grating.

Midoriya shrugged, "I was just wondering if Yaoyorozu and Ashido were right."

"Right about what?!" Bakugo snapped.

"Do you respect her?"

Bakugo's inner rampage died down significantly at this question. "Why the fuck do you even care?"

Midoriya shrugged again. "I guess I'm just curious."

Bakugo stared down his classmate in silence, his eyes begging Midoriya to test him. When he could only make out sincerity on Midoriya's face, Bakugo straightened up and crossed his arms. "I only respect people who are looking to be number one."

"So you don't, then?" Midoriya pressed but gambled for the answer.

"Didn't say that," Bakugo snarled, disgusted at Midoriya's forwardness.

Another silence fell on the pair for a few minutes. They allowed the breeze to carry their awkwardness away for a moment.

"Well," Midoriya started again, "I respect her."

Bakugo sneered at the dopey kid before him, "Course you do. She's your fuckin' fan girl."

Midoriya was surprised by Bakugo's reply, "Fangirl?"

"Yeah," Bakugo spit back, "She's always hangin' around you and trying to be like you. It's pathetic."

Midoriya turned his face back to Bakugo again, the moon hitting his childhood friend's cardinal eyes. "Uraraka is my friend and she has her own reasons to be a hero. She's strong and smart. She has a clear head and a good reason to shoot for her goals. I don't think she's a fan girl at all, I respect her because she's serious like me."

Bakugo mulled over Midoriya's reply for a while but decided not to carry the conversation forward. He turned on his heel and began retreating to his cabin, the sand smashing under his feet.

Midoriya watched the blonde as he left, a feign of curiosity on his brain. He wondered briefly if his words had any effect on Bakugo, but he tried not to predict Bakugo's thoughts much anymore.

Bakugo sneered to himself as he made his way back to his cabin. ' _Fuck Deku and his lame reasons. They're just excuses he's making on that gravity girl's behalf. Why does he even care what I think about her?'_

Bakugo entered his cabin, weariness taking over him. ' _So what if I do respect her? Why is that a big deal?'_ Bakugo tried to shake his thoughts from his conscience as he settled back into his bunk, Kirishima's snores were now drowned out by his own mind. ' _He respects her because she's serious, huh? I guess he isn't wrong about that.'_

…

The next day of camp was another hot one. Everyone was straining their quirks and trying to extend their use. Aizawa had informed them that they would be testing for their provisional licenses earlier than other UA classes had before them, so everyone was intensely motivated to advance.

Uraraka was having no fun at all as she floated through the air. She'd been holding herself up for so long now that she'd lost track of time. Her stomach fought her as she careened along but she tried to distract herself from her restless tummy by eyeing her classmates as they trained. Ojiro and Kirishima were beating the crap out of each other directly below her, Kirishima vowing to avenge himself for yesterday. Todoroki was sunk into a vat of ice as he tried to produce substantial flames. Kaminari had himself hooked up to a generator and Yaoyorozu was creating sweets as fast as Sato could eat them. Everyone else was working just as hard, all bellowing out cries of determination and struggle.

Eventually, Uraraka simply couldn't take it anymore and she released herself from her quirk. She landed a few yards from Bakugo and immediately began dry heaving, fighting to keep her composure and any stomach contents from making an appearance.

Bakugo was riled up at her weak state, "What the fuck?! Can't you go somewhere else to do that?!" His hands were elbow deep in water as he stretched his own quirk to produce explosions. "It's revolting!"

"S-sorry…" Uraraka breathed between heaves, "I can't really go anywhere right now."

"Then quit making yourself hurl!" Bakugo barked through his sweat and efforts.

Uraraka took a few deep breaths as the heaving passed and smiled weakly at Bakugo, her eyes downtrodden with illness. "No can do… I'll never get stronger if I don't. See? I didn't even throw up this time, I only came close."

Bakugo blinked at her, minutely impressed by her willingness to push her limits.

A few minutes later, Present Mic called for a lunch break and everyone cried in relief.

As Bakugo lifted his hands from the water, shaking them of water droplets, he watched as Uraraka slumped down onto the ground. Clearly her illness still hadn't passed. He looked around for one of her friends but saw everyone already making their way to the mess hall for lunch. ' _Damn it.'_

Bakugo groaned irritably as he marched over to the brunette. "Stand the hell up and get going."

Uraraka sluggishly waved a hand dismissively at him, "I'm good… I'm just going to lay here for a while until I feel better."

Bakugo was miffed at her response and just stared down at her. "I didn't ask you to give me excuses."

"Ughhh…" Uraraka grunted. "Really Bakugo, I'm fine."

Bakugo eyed her flushed face. No, he wasn't about to baby her. "Quit your bitchin' and get up!"

Uraraka huffed in exasperation, "I just need a minute, okay?"

Bakugo clenched his jaw, "Fine. Suit yourself." He chided before maneuvering to walk away.

"Wait…" Uraraka objected.

Bakugo looked back down at her expectantly only to see her lift her hand up at him. "Help me up," She said with an inquisitive tone.

Bakugo grumbled absently at her plea and gruffly pulled her up.

"Thank you," Uraraka forced a sickly grin before teetering her way to the mess hall.

Bakugo didn't give a reply and shoved his hands into his uniform pockets as he followed after the gravity manipulator.

The mess hall was filled with sweaty teens as they all stagnated over their food. The hall was filled with the sounds griping and chairs squealing across the wooden floor. Ashido and Kirishima were standing in front of a vent as it pumped icy air into their overworked faces. Uraraka grabbed a lunch bag and squatted into a chair beside Midoriya and Iida. She rested her face into her hands instead of digging in to her food. The nausea was still lingering in her gut.

"This blows…" Was all she could muster up to say.

Midoriya looked worriedly at his friend, "You feelin' okay?"

Uraraka chuckled weakly, "How would you define 'okay'?"

Iida opened her lunch for her and offered her the cool water bottle. "If you're not feeling well, some water is sure to help!"

"Yeah," Midoriya added, "You're probably a little dehydrated."

"Thanks guys…" Uraraka received the water and sipped it with salty lips. "How's your guys' training going?"

Midoriya beamed at her question. "I've been getting in a lot of combat training!" He turned his head to show Uraraka his other cheek where a purple bruise was starting to form. "I can't say it's been easy, though."

Iida pumped his fist excitedly, "I've been running non-stop since this morning and I can really feel my engines getting stronger!" Iida displayed his already enormous calf muscles proudly.

"That's great guys," Uraraka encouraged her friends. "I'm super happy that we're all working hard. I just wish I wouldn't feel so sick when I work on my quirk."

Midoriya patted her shoulder gently, "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it!"

As they continued their discussion, Uraraka's nausea passed and she dug into her meal. She noted how everyone seemed to rejuvenate with the break and fell back into their normal characteristics. Todoroki sat alone, the girls table was jittery and happy, Mineta tried to cop a feel the entire time, and Bakugo's table was rowdy as usual. She was comforted by the normalcy and began looking forward to getting back out there to train for their provisional license exam.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Thanks for reading this far, everyone! I appreciate your feedback :)_

 _This chapter was a little shorter than the previous few, so I'm sorry about that! I know you guys have been waiting for some actual Kaccako moments and I've been neglecting writing any for the sake of the story's pace but I can assure you, there will be some Kaccako in the next chapter. I have been formulating a plan and now I can finally start writing it!_

 _I'll make sure I keep up with the updating :)_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	8. Consequences of Confrontation

"Okay…" Kaminari wheezed, releasing himself from the generator, "This is really starting to suck. I don't know how much longer I can do this…" He rested his hands on his knees and gulped for air, sweat dripping off his forehead.

"Tell me about it…" Mineta griped, his mountain of purple balls towering above him. "It's starting to feel like I'm ripping the skin off my head!"

"My tummy…" Aoyama whimpered and slouched to the ground, not caring that the dirt was getting his uniform dirty.

Kirishima's quirk had finally chipped away to nothing, "I think my quirk has given up completely on 'Plus Ultra' for the day."

Aizawa squinted at his students as they all began to collapse one by one. He debated continuing, as they still had an hour left to train but he acknowledged that everyone had been working especially hard all day. "Alright class, I think we have reached a good stopping point."

Cries of joy and relief echoed across the camp, a few of the remaining students collapsed to the ground. Aizawa sighed, "You all stretched your quirks effectively today so go get some rest before dinner."

Bakugo pulled his hands from the hot water, sweat gathered at his hairline. He grit his teeth at the weaklings that he called classmates and sneered at their self-reprieve. Only Todoroki and -ugh- Deku had managed to keep up with him within the final hour of their training. His bloodshot eyes fell on a certain brunette as she tried to hide the the tint of green on her face. She allowed her bangs to sweep down in front of eyes in order to form a mask.

Midoriya and Iida were already making their way toward her, but she waved them away claiming she wanted some downtime on her own. Bakugo snickered spitefully as the bushy-head dolt and the four-eyed freak shrugged unknowingly and wandered the other way. Bakugo knew he needed to confront her about the things that she had said about him and now seemed like as good a time as any. He wiped his hands on his uniform pants and started toward her.

She wandered into the treeline a few yards and settled on a shady rock, breathing deeply and begging her stomach to quit it's rolling. As the last of the class disappeared to mind their own business, Bakugo came up behind her. "Hey air-head," He jeered as she jumped in surprise. "I hear you have a fuckin' problem with me."

"Wha-?!" Uraraka whirled around and gasped in surprise, her tummy reeling again. She clasped her hands over her mouth as her face flushed green once more.

Bakugo rolled his eyes, agitated at her sickly state. "If you're going to hurl, you might as well get it over with. I don't have all day."

Uraraka released her mouth and gasped for air, her queasiness beginning to whittle away again. "Believe me, I do _not_ want to puke. Give me a second and it'll go away."

Bakugo grunted impatiently, "Look round-face, that shit you fuckin' blabbed to your stupid girlfriends pissed me the hell off. If you have a damn problem, then you should tell me to my fuckin' face!"

Uraraka frowned, the green hue beginning to clear off her face. "What in the world are you talking about?"

Did he have to spell it out for her? Bakugo grit his teeth angrily, his eyes flaring up. "I know what you said last night and that shit is fuckin' ridiculous!"

Uraraka blinked obnoxiously at him, pondering what he was getting at. "You mean at the hot springs?"

"How stupid are you?!" Bakugo barked, his hand instinctively rose in front of his face. He clenched and unclenched it, sparks lighting up in his palms.

Uraraka was taken aback by his tone and a sour look replaced her sickly grimace. "Were you _spying_ on us?"

Bakugo scoffed unbelievably at her remark, "Fuck no! You can blame that shitty purple-head pervert for that. He told all of us what you said."

To say Uraraka was shocked would be an understatement. She had said those things in confidence and she was feeling betrayed. Looking at the brutish blonde in front of her, she chose her next words carefully, "What did he say, exactly?"

Bakugo sneered at her ignorance, "Don't play dumb with me! You said that I was some kind of asshole to you and that I'm the reason we didn't win."

"And?" Uraraka asked pointedly, her face completely clear now and her stomach ache was replaced with a vaught of mild annoyance. Why was he picking a fight over this?

"And what?!" Bakugo snarled.

Uraraka let a silence hang over them for a few seconds, surprised by his outburst. "Well, am I wrong?"

Bakugo was floored by her audacity, but he kept his fiercome composure. He wasn't at a loss for words often, but this time he had to wrack his brain. He wasn't the least bit prepared for her to have a comeback like that. Normally when he threatened people, they simply submitted and cowered in his shadow. "Fuck off!" Those were the only words Bakugo could surmise in his quest for a response, his eyes fuming with hooded disbelief.

Uraraka released herself from her frown and sighed loudly, her hands still resting on the rock she perched on. "Listen, I know that what I said was kinda mean but you are not exactly the easiest person in the world to work with. As soon as the matches started it was like you threw everything we'd worked on all day out the window! Not to mention the fact that you left me in the dust when it was our turn and tried to win all by yourself. It almost cost us the match! Actually no, it _did_ cost us the match because I wanted to win too and we didn't."

Bakugo was definitely mad now, his fingers twitched and itched for a fight. That fact that she was remaining so cool under his deathly glare irritated him to hell. Was she really not afraid? "So what's your problem, fuck-face?!"

Uraraka's face twisted into a scowl at his ferocious barks. Was he not hearing a word she was saying? This was beginning to feel like a waste of her time and breath. "My problem is that you're too hopped up on your stupid ego all the time to listen!" Uraraka found the strength to stand and face him properly, her hands propped onto her hips. She felt a brush of sassiness creep into her tone. "If you really want to be the best, as you say you do, then you need to learn to suck it up and work with others sometimes. Even All-Might accepts help, you know."

Uraraka's cheeks puffed out angrily as she lectured him, irking Bakugo to his core. He huffed out an angry puff through his nostrils, his eyes blazing with animosity. "Shut the fuck up, you dumb shit! You're one to talk!"

"Me?" Uraraka was baffled by his retort. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Bakugo clenched the fist he was still hovering in front of his face, "You're complaining about _my_ ego? At least I have one!"

Ouch. Uraraka bit her lip hard, trying to summon a smart-mouth response with angrily trembling hands but could find none to counter him. She shook her head dismissively after a few tense moments of silence. "Jiro and Ashido were clearly wrong when they said you respected me. I gave you the benefit of the doubt all day yesterday and you never really came through." Her voice shook with frustration, but her tone stayed low and sad. "I really want to think that you're a good person under all that hatred, but I'm beginning to think that beneath it is just more hate." Her eyes dropped to her shoes.

It was like a punch to the gut to Bakugo as he saw her give up her argumentative side in favor of her somberly judgmental one. He wanted her to stay mad and keep up their angery and passionate ruse but she just couldn't do it for him. He fought internally to keep his coarse fire lit in order to maintain his rage, but even that flame was flickering down to docile. He finally lowered his angry fist and moved to enclose his hands in his pockets.

"Whatever. Forget it." Bakugo spat half-assedly and turned to leave. Maybe his last comment was uncalled for, but he wasn't going to accept that. He was sick of people looking at him with those sad eyes, like he was some kind of kicked puppy. It was true that he respected her, although he'd never admit it to her; especially now. However, the last response she gave him made it clear that she did not reciprocate that respect. Did he care if she did? He told himself he didn't, but it was still unsettling. He clouded his mind with the same sentence over and over again as he went to leave, he didn't need anybody's approval.

Uraraka looked up from her shoes to see him begin his retreat. Was that it? He just wanted to berate her to the point of near-tears and then walk away? Bastard! At this point, she almost wished he'd picked an actual brawl with her instead of this trash-talking fest. She tried to stamp down her morals as she watched him start to leave but she couldn't fight her own standards. "Bakugo, wait." She called calmly but quietly. She wasn't going to just let this go without it being remedied. Her excuse was that it would distract her from her training.

He stopped but didn't turn back. She waited for him, but his back remained stoic and unmoved. She groaned loudly, regretting her call out to him. "I didn't mean what I said, okay? I know you're a good person. I just wish that we could get along better, especially when we have to work together."

Bakugo scoffed mockingly, "What is it? You want to be friends?"

Uraraka thought about her response, "I guess, yeah."

Bakugo laughed haughtily, "Fuck no, loser. I'm not interested."

Uraraka twisted her mouth determinedly, "I guess we'll just have to see about that." She regretted that sentence the moment it left her lips because it held an unspoken promise within it. ' _I must be crazy if I'm thinking I can make Bakugo my friend!'_

Bakugo grimaced threateningly, his back still turned to her. He could almost laugh out loud at her arrogance and that stupid proclamation. The last person he would be friends with was some ditzy girl that said this kind of stupid shit. No, he admonished her lunacy. "You're a damn moron," Were the only words that left his lips before heading back to his cabin for some much needed R&R.

She remained glued to her spot as she watched the audacious blonde strut away cockily. She could think of a million reasons to dismiss her own proposal of friendship to him, but one weighed heavier in favor of it. She needed to learn if there really was a good person in there, for the sake of her own curiosity of course.

…

Bathing and dinner came and went in a blur for Bakugo, his mind replaying his encounter with a certain gutsy brunette. He was becoming intensely bothered that he didn't seem to intimidate her whatsoever during their entire exchange. Dealing with people used to be so easy for him! All he had to do was threaten to kill them and they usually ran away or left him alone but ever since he started at UA, more and more of his classmates were no longer fearsome of his wrath. It was despicable to him.

Bakugo's head swam as he and his two bunkmates hung out lazily in their cabin, spending the rest of the evening relaxing. Kaminari was laying in the bunk underneath Kirishima with his eyes closed, earphones jammed in his ears and his head bobbing slightly with the beat of the song playing. Kirishima was flipping through a gaming magazine on his top bunk, smacking a piece of bubblegum in his mouth mindlessly.

Unable to take the annoyance anymore, Bakugo glared menacingly at the boy in the top bunk across from his. "Kirishima, if you pop one more motherfuckin' bubble I swear I will blow your damned head off."

The redhead's eyes widened momentarily, debating if he was feeling like pestering the blonde tonight. He made the decision to relent to Bakugo and went to spit out his gum. Normally, he would intentionally push Bakugo's buttons to elicit an over-reaction, but something about Bakugo was off tonight. Normally the blonde would be invested in playing games on his phone but tonight he was rather lackluster about it.

Kirishima settled back into his spot on his bunk before taking the hypothetical leap. "Dude, what's up with you?"

Bakugo glared at the redhead, clearly miffed by his question. "Fuck off, rocks-for-brains." Bakugo dropped his glare and focused his attention back to the poker game on his phone.

Kirishima understood Bakugo well enough by now to know this was deflection. He pushed ahead, despite the blonde's previous response. "Seriously man, what's going on?"

Bakugo slammed his phone down on his lap, "What do you want, ass-hat? If you're looking for some kind of gushy girl chat, then go ask somebody else." Bakugo snarled snidely at his bunkmate.

Kirishima felt despondent by Bakugo's response. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised by Bakugo attempting to avoid a conversation that required any level of vulnerability. He inwardly sighed about the blonde hot-head's incessant and undying need to act macho all the time. He had definitely picked up on some kind of weird tension brewing between Bakugo and Uraraka because she kept glancing over at the blonde during dinner. He wanted to say that she appeared determined, but that didn't seem like the right word. Maybe confused? No, it was more like she was curious. He glossed over that in his mind for a minute but he couldn't figure out what her deal was exactly. All he knew was this: Bakugo disappeared after the training had ended that afternoon and ever since he showed back up, he seemed distant and somewhat muddled in his thoughts. Whether Uraraka's stolen glances and Bakugo's aloofness had anything to do with each other, he couldn't be sure.

After realizing that Bakugo wasn't going to give in, Kirishima pushed himself off his bunk and tugged his sneakers on. He didn't want to stick around if Bakugo was just going to be such a wet towel all night. He noted that the blonde didn't even give him a glance as he walked out of the cabin door.

The sun was halfway hidden behind the mountains, painting the camp in a musky orange hue. As Kirishima wandered out toward the main camp area, his shadow fell in a long line in front of him. When he arrived at the center of camp, he saw some students lounging around the mess hall and the bathhouse while Uraraka skipped rocks at the lake's shoreline. It was easy for her with her anti-gravity quirk. They'd bounce all the way out to the center of the lake, making whisking noises as they went. He recalled her troublesome ambiance at dinner and decided to approach her.

"What's up, Uraraka?" Kirishima called out, his boyish tone was light and fun.

She turned to see who had called her and she smiled boisterously, "Hey Kirishima!"

He approached her and picked up one of the many smooth rocks bordering the shoreline. "Damn, you're pretty good at this, huh?"

She laughed lightly, embarrassment in her inflection, "Without my quirk, I suck at it pretty bad."

Kirishima bent his knees and sent a rock fleeing over the water. It skipped three times before sinking. "Well I guess it's a good thing we don't get graded on skipping rocks then, huh?"

The joke went over Uraraka's head as she applauded his skipping efforts. "It's weird seeing you by yourself, Kirishima."

The redhead shook his head, surprised by her observation. "How do you mean?"

"Well," Uraraka pointed a finger toward the sky matter-of-factly, "Normally you're with Kaminari or Bakugo. Seeing you by yourself doesn't seem quite right, I guess."

Kirishima rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Bakugo is just being a downer tonight, so I sort of left him alone."

Uraraka sighed mournfully, "Yeah, that makes sense."

Kirishima eyed the brunette inquisitively, urging her to continue. "Do you know what his deal is or something?"

Uraraka laughed awkwardly again, "I wouldn't know the first thing about Bakugo!"

Kirishima wasn't the least bit convinced and he gave her a prodding look. "Spill it, Uraraka."

She frantically waved her hands in front of her, "It's totally nothing! He just started yelling at me after training about some stuff I said at the hot springs last night." She closed her eyes, embarrassed with herself. "I know it wasn't nice for me to say those things, so I guess I kind of deserved it!"

Kirishima raised his eyebrows at her flustered response, "That's it?"

Uraraka sighed in humiliation, "Well no… I kinda yelled back a little. I told him that I didn't think he was a good person and I feel _really_ bad about it. I wish I knew how to be his friend."

Kirishima patted the brunette on the head and looked down at her new and somber expression. "Trust me, you don't want to be that guy's friend. It's like trying to tame a lion that's been permanently dosed with LSD." He cracked a goofy grin down at Uraraka.

She just shrugged in response. "I just hope he can prove me wrong about not being a good person."

Uraraka was surprised with herself for blurting all this out to Kirishima. Normally, she'd go straight to Midoriya about her complaints, but this time she had kept them to herself. She supposed it was because she didn't want to burden him with more of her frustrations with Bakugo. She knew he'd feel obligated to say something to Bakugo and that was definitely not what she wanted. She didn't want to have to rely on Midoriya to stand up for her.

"He will," Kirishima comforted her. "Bakugo can be a real hard-ass sometimes, but he's got a heart somewhere in there." He paused and pondered his words. "Well, at least I think he does."

Uraraka thanked Kirishima for lending an ear to her and claimed she was heading off to her cabin. As he watched her walk away, he asked himself if Bakugo might be bothered by whatever she had said to him during their conversation earlier today. Given Bakugo's moody timeline, he supposed that was probably the case and even though he felt somewhat sorry for the blonde, he knew it probably had affected him for the better.

As the sun finally disappeared on their second day of camp, a blonde and a brunette went to bed with busy minds.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Gaaahh! I hope this turned out okay... I've re-written this twice and I'm beginning to worry I might have over-edited. It's definitely a longer chapter than I planned for, but hurray! We finally have a tiny bit of progression! I guess it's time I just call it quits on this chapter and let you guys be the judges of it's success..._

 _Thanks for reading! I'll try to have an update soon :)_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	9. Getting Stronger

"Come at me, you damned cowards!" Bakugo roared perniciously as he ran toward Kirishima and Kaminari, his blasts boosting his speed tremendously. A wicked smile was plastered on his face and his eyes glowered.

"Ah, shit." Kirishima rolled his shoulder painfully, "I'll take this one." He let the electric blonde rest for a moment behind him before bursting off to meet Bakugo's intimidations, shouting heckles all the way there.

Their two-on-one spar was definitely wearing on Kirishima and Kaminari. There was no doubt that they were strong enough to face Bakugo each on their own merits, but they lacked the same tenacity of the fair-haired animal that they often regretfully called their friend. The spar had continued uninterrupted all morning long and Bakugo mercilessly wailed down blows on his friends. Kirishima was getting sick of taking the brunt of Bakugo's rage to the face, so he had started counting down the minutes to their lunch break an hour ago.

"That's more like it!" Bakugo sneered as he cancelled his blasts and skidded to a halt in order to allow Kirishima to come at him instead.

The rock-hard redhead grit his teeth as he hustled toward his only opponent, "Like I'd be afraid of a kitten like you, Bakugo!" He raised a toughened fist threateningly as his running feet pounded the dirt beneath him.

He didn't just say that. The blonde bristled at Kirishima's ridicule, his eyes shining evilly with an entirely new determination to win. Yes, he was going to put that shit-brain in his place once and for all right now. He raised his hands purposefully and snarled as Kirishima came within firing range, "Now DIE!"

The consequential blast shook the entire training ground, rattling the windows of the mess hall nearby and the wind chimes hanging by the door started clanging loudly. A wave of intense heat rushed over all the nearby students caught in their own spars, enticing them to turn their attention that way. As the angry flames dissipated and the residual smoke cleared, they were all surprised to see Kirishima kneeling only a few yards from Bakugo, his forearm raised in front of his face protectively.

"Damn, Bakugo!" Kirishima laughed boyishly as his hardening began to disappear. "That was nuts!" He stood up to put out the embers caught on his pants and grinned proudly at the blonde. "You sure are gettin' tough!"

Bakugo was stunned at Kirishima's ability to withstand his full-power stun grenade. Obviously the redhead would not have made it out without a few bumps and scrapes, but he definitely should have been KO'd by that, right? Had Kirishima really improved that much?

Kirishima walked leisurely up to his angry blonde pal, a grin slapped on his face. "Just when I didn't think you could get any stronger, you do it anyway." He slapped Bakugo's shoulder roughly. "I'd say this quirk extension training is working pretty good for you."

Bakugo breathed deeply but angrily, "How the fuck did you not die?!"

Kirishima only chuckled teasingly again, "Hey man, you're not the only one here getting better, you know?" His infectious grin tried to coax Bakugo's lips to smile, but unfortunately his goofy-boy charms never worked on the hot-head.

Bakugo gruffly shoved the other boy to the side, "Fuck off, Kirishima." He stalked away aggressively. He needed to go blow something up right the fuck now.

Kaminari was still sitting down in the dirt when Bakugo stormed by, unsurprised when he was completely ignored. He looked expectantly over at Kirishima but only received an accepting shrug in response. The electric quirked boy rose to his feet and wandered over to his buddy, "Is he still pissed off about that stuff from yesterday? He's in an especially bad mood today."

Kaminari wasn't wrong in his assumptions. Normally when they sparred with Bakugo, he never really went all-out on them but today he'd been especially presumptuous in releasing a ridiculous amount of pent-up rage. Both of Bakugo's friends scrunched their faces thoughtfully and wondered silently if Uraraka's remarks had gotten under his skin more than he let on.

"Well that was intense," Ashido squealed as she skipped up behind them. Her eyes were lit up with uninvited curiosity. "He seems like a bigger jerk than usual, am I right?"

"Don't ask," Both Kirishim and Kaminari replied flatly.

Ashido's face went downtrodden, "Aw, I want to know! Please tell me!"

Kirishima closed his eyes, trying to figure a way out of this situation. "You know how Bakugo is, he's just trying to stay at the top of his game."

Ashido didn't buy it, but decided not to press the matter. "So are you guys done? If you want, Jiro and I could use a change up in sparring partners!"

Kaminari planted his butt in the dirt tiredly, "I need a break first. Fighting Bakugo always makes my head hurt a lot." As much as he'd love to spar a little with the ear-jack girl, he didn't want to visit stupid-ville today, no thanks to his most signature move.

Ashido pouted again but waved at the boys, "Let us know if you guys change your minds, mm'kay?"

Kirishima nodded at her, his cheeks brightening up at her cheerfulness. Ashido was like one of the boys to him; fun to be around and always willing to go along with their hair-brained ideas. Despite all that, she was still always able to harness and dangle her shard of girliness in front of them. Damn, she's weird, but also pretty awesome.

After another forty-five minutes of quirk-enhancing spars, Aizawa dismissed them for lunch. Hungry stomachs could be heard growling as the students entered the air-conditioned mess hall. Bento boxes were handed to each student as they arrived and their excitable chatter drowned out the scuffling of chairs and clacking of chopsticks.

Bakugo arrived later than most everyone else, snatching a bento box and snarling a curse. He parked himself unceremoniously at the table Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero occupied before ravaging his meal. He didn't utter a word as he scarfed down some rice and chugged down his water bottle. Sweat was still dripping from his brow, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

Their lunch break carried on normally. Their table was always rowdy and busy with teases and borderline dirty jokes. But it wasn't too long until the entire table was sent into shock as a bubbly brunette set her tray with a bento box down at their table. "Hello, Bakugo!"

Everyone excluding Bakugo had wide eyes and dropped jaws. Their eyes fell fearfully on their blonde ringleader, anticipating his response and ready to spring into action if he were to try to attack her.

She gracefully overlooked the jarring expressions of her peers and kept her smiling eyes on Bakugo, "That big blast earlier really was something! I didn't realize that you had gotten so strong!"

Her compliments didn't even register with the group as they looked back and forth at the pair, their expressions never shifting to anything but more bafflement.

Bakugo kept his demeanor of self-righteous attitude, "What the fuck do you want, you irrelevant shit?"

Uraraka only smiled sweetly at him, effectively covering up the sheer terror behind her eyes. Oh man, she knew she was going to regret this! "I just wanted to tell you how cool it was." She nervously nibbled on some of her rice.

"You just did, now beat it." Bakugo shot back snidely, completely unimpressed with her shielded bravery.

Uraraka forced out a very light chuckle, "I'm already here, so I might as well stay." She gestured to the three other boys to agree with her, but found their faces glued into looks of shock.

The three onlookers waited in anticipation for Bakugo's response but were floored by his new and cold ignorance of her. He simply went back to scarfing down his food, albeit at a faster rate than previously. If she was going to stay, then he was going to get out of there as quickly as he could. She had already deflected his cues for her to leave, so he saw no other option than to finish eating and take off.

Kirishima took it upon himself to break the thickening tension at the table and cautiously started up a new conversation with the brunette. "So uh… Uraraka… How did sparring go for you?" He chanced another glance at Bakugo, only to see him still ignoring his surroundings.

Uraraka beamed back, "So good! Tokoyami is super hard for me to try and beat! I can never get close to him, it's kind of like trying to spar with Bakugo. He's good at keeping his distance."

Bakugo nearly choked on his food at hearing this. Was she seriously comparing him to that shadow-fucker?

"Well that's good, I guess." Kirishima continued hesitantly and decided to turn the conversation toward himself, "If it makes you feel any better, I got the snot kicked out of me too."

"I saw," Uraraka replied pleasantly, "But you've grown super strong too, Kirishima! You handled Bakugo's blast like it was nothing!"

Kirishima rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, trying to keep Bakugo's delicate bubble from popping. "I definitely wouldn't say it was nothing... It took a lot out of me! Hopefully in the next round, I can get some more moves in."

Bakugo restricted a snicker of criticism for Kirishima's hopelessness from leaving his lips.

Uraraka knew she had to keep the conversation moving, "I'm teaming up with Iida for the next round, so hopefully I can get Tokoyami this time! He wants us to fight him in a cave, so there is no way I'd be able to beat him alone."

Bakugo finally interjected, rolling his eyes before slamming his bowl of rice down on the table. "Would you just shut the fuck up, already?! Why are you even here?!" He sharply stood up with irritated fists.

Uraraka's eyes widened at his sudden outburst and she looked up at the blonde menace. For a moment, she met his cold gaze with one of pure shock before she composed herself and started gathering her things. "I think I made a mistake," She rose from her seat gently. "Thanks guys, but I think I'm going to eat somewhere else. Sorry for intruding!" She smiled at them before briskly walking away and toward Midoriya and Iida on the other side of the room.

She scolded herself as she basically ran away. ' _I am so stupid! Why do I do this sort of thing to myself and why am I trying to be that jerk's friend?! I knew this was a bad idea, shame on you Ochaco!'_

The alarm in Midoriya's eyes was severe as she approached his table. "Are you okay? What were you doing?!"

Uraraka plopped down defeatedly across from Midoriya, resting her head in her hands. "That guy is _impossible_. I just thought that if I was nice to him, maybe he wouldn't freak out! But no, that dude is some kind of sadist or something. He clearly only responds to anger…" She puffed out her cheeks at her failure.

Uraraka's reasoning for approaching the boys' table only confused them more. She wearily picked at the remainder of her lunch, regretting her stupid decision to go over there in the first place. Jeez, that guy makes her feel like such an idiot!

"That's Kacchan for you," Midoriya shyly declared. He couldn't even to begin to comprehend why Uraraka would try something like this. She'd never shown interest in Bakugo before, but now she wanted to be nice to him? It made no sense.

…

Sparring continued after lunch and Aizawa let it carry into the late evening, citing that they needed to stretch their quirks to the maximum potential before they deserved to eat again. He ordered them to continue as he and Present Mic exited the training ground and made headway for the mess hall. At least they'd be able to eat in the silence of absent students. As the sun crept away from them, the students maintained their momentum despite their exhaustion.

Uraraka and Iida were still busy handling Tokoyami's shadow, their newest round of sparring still occupied the darkening cave. The three of them were growing weary of their quirks after 5 sparring rounds since their lunch hours ago.

Uraraka had floated herself up to a ridge inside the cave, seeking an opening to touch Tokoyami as Iida ran circles around the shadow-user in an attempt to distract. She panted exhaustively, her stomach beginning to decry her forceful use of her quirk. As the sun was falling more, it was becoming harder to see the action below her. The sun was no longer lending it's light through the cracks of the cave meaning Tokoyami was only becoming more powerful by the minute.

She took the moments she was up there to close her eyes and try to calm her reeling tummy before even thinking about leaping back into the fight, but as she opened her eyes a new scene was unfolding. Tokoyami was beginning to be consumed by his shadow.

"I-I've…" Tokoyama fought to get the words out, "I'm losing c-control!"

"Tokoyami!" Iida shouted and changed his course to head straight for the shadow-quirk classmate. "Hold on!"

Before Iida could get anywhere near him, the shadow swept a large and menacing claw at Iida, effectively throwing him into the nearest wall.

As Iida moved to stand, he squinted through his now broken glasses. "Tokoyami!"

The beast that was beginning to consume the bird-headed classmate released a sickening roar and turned it's full attention onto the class representative.

"Get away!" Tokoyami cried weakly, "It'll kill you!"

Iida hurried to get to his feet now, hoping to sprint away in time to dodge the incoming attack and Uraraka watched in absolute horror. Where is Mr. Aizawa?! He was nowhere to be seen! No, there's no time to think about that now. She knew that the onus was now on her to help her friend recapture control. She leapt from the ledge, catching herself before she fell too far. All she has to do is touch Tokoyami and she can force him outside the cave and into the sunlight.

"I'm coming!" Uraraka hollered and tried to fall in on the monster, but was surprised at it's supreme reflexes. Before she had time to think her next thought, she was being thrown against the wall of the cave, rocks threatening to tumble down on her. She shrieked and maneuvered away without a second to spare as the boulders tumbled in on themselves.

This was starting to look very bad.

From outside of the cave, the other students could hear the spar inside reaching a new level of intense. The majority of the students were too far from earshot to really decipher that things were going downhill fast for Uraraka, Iida, and Tokoyami. It sounded menacing, but not deadly. The fact that Tokoyami could lose control never even crossed their exhausted minds.

However, Bakugo and Kirishima were not so easily convinced. They'd been sparring along the cliffs of the mountains due to Bakugo's insistence and both could almost immediately tell that something did not sound right about the match taking place inside the nearby cave.

When they heard a girly scream, they knew it wasn't a surprised one. It was a scream of panic. The residual sounds of the rocks collapsing inside led both boys to believe that there was real trouble brewing there. Without a second thought, both bolted to intervene.

When they entered the darkening cave, they could barely make out what was going on. As their eyes adjusted to it, they could see that Tokoyami's shadow had taken on a new form entirely. It towered over Uraraka and Iida, throwing them around like ragdolls as they tried to get to the source of the power; a now unconscious Tokoyami.

When the monster pinned Iida down with a claw and lunged for Uraraka, Bakugo leapt into action. His hands sparking with demanding fury, "What the fuck is going on here?!"

The shadow monster didn't blink before abandoning it's pursuit of Uraraka and engaging the angry blonde. In a split second it had muffled the explosion building in Bakugo's palms and thrown him down to the floor of the cave with a cracking thud.

"Bakugo!" Uraraka shouted, her face was puffy and bruised even though they'd only been fighting the monster for a few minutes. She ran toward him to check on him before she was swept up by the monster once more. It really was a shame that her quirk was useless on a shadow.

She was swung around in the air as the monster arched it's arm, preparing to fastball her into the nearest wall. There was nothing she could do now but accept that this was about to happen. She had never felt the urge to give up in her life, but now she felt like had no choice. She shamefully shut her eyes as she was thrown full force, unable to stop her departure.

A few words of apology escaped her lips and she didn't bother preparing for the impact, but the impact never came. When hot hands wrapped around her, she blinked her eyes open to see that a red-eyed blonde had come to her rescue.

He glared at her disapprovingly, "Who the fuck said you could just give up?!"

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Slight cliffhanger. Well at least for a day or two. I should have another chapter out very soon. Honestly, I was going to write all the way up to the end of this scene but alas, I have to leave for class. College gets in the way of my writing and it's kind of annoying, but I guess I have to have "priorities"._

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I will try not to keep you hanging for too long! I have a test on Monday, so I'll try to make sure I have time to update over the weekend. Pretty please review! Thank you to Kirana Retsu and Fire Tribe's Lad for being so kind :) You guys are super cool!_

 _See you guys soon!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	10. Sparring for Your Life

"Who the fuck said you could just give up?" Bakugo's eyes were narrowed with judgement.

"B-Bakugo…" Uraraka whimpered, her eyes widened in surprise.

Bakugo had his arm wrapped around her waist as he landed successfully on the ground. He sneered at her mockingly, "B-b-b-bakugo! Shut the hell up and fuckin' get moving!" He released her with a sharp shove and observed the fight. Blood trickled down his forehead and he felt the sting of a cut. The urge to touch it was almost overwhelming.

Uraraka smothered the tears in her eyes with the backs of her hands. She felt overwhelmingly stupid for her pathetic surrender just a few moments earlier. She chided herself severely and she knew Bakugo was right; heros never give up!

When she readjusted to her fight-mode, she saw Kirishima blocking the blows to Iida by taking his place. With his hardening quirk, he was able to withstand the blows much easier than the rest of them. She raked her brain for a plan. They needed to get Tokoyami outside of this cave soon or they'd all be in trouble. What they really needed was some light.

The idea exploded into her mind and she ran to Bakugo's side, grabbing his arm before he could take off on her. "You need to light this place up!"

He snarled and shook her off of him but waited for her to continue.

"Tokoyami's shadow isn't as strong in the light, so you need to make as much light as you can!" Uraraka sputtered out the plan. She knew it might not work, but she didn't have much else. "I'll go in as soon as there is an opening and use my quirk on Tokoyami. Hopefully, we will be able to get him into the sun!"

She didn't have to say it again. Unlimited explosions? That was music to his ears. He sparked off a few pops in his palms, gearing up for a big one. Before he could begin setting them off, he felt Uraraka tug on him again. He threw her off roughly, "What the fuck is it?" He snapped at her behind him.

She pointed up at a crack in the ceiling of the cave, "You have to be careful or the roof might collapse in on us."

Bakugo followed her finger and grunted. He was getting really tired of cleaning up other people's shit. "I got it!" He barked ferociously. "Now shut the hell up and get a move on!"

With that, Bakugo was off. He catapulted himself into the air and yelled at the beast to pay attention to him before firing off an explosion into it's face. He noted that Uraraka was right about it's affinity to light, so he carried on. Blast after blast shook the growingly unstable room. The walls almost creaked in it's weakness.

However, their plan was still flawed. Every time Uraraka made a run for it, the shadow was on her case. It opened itself up to Bakugo in the meantime, but it knew that Uraraka was the one to fear. She was looking pretty beat up by her fourth attempt and her legs shook with weakness.

"This isn't working!" Uraraka called out to her classmates, her voice strained with the effort.

Bakugo broke his focus for a split second to glance at his exhausted classmate. She cupped her hands on her knees and fought for breath. Before he could insult her, the shadow swiped at him with the strength it was gaining since his last blast. It's clawed hand met it's mark on Bakugo's chest, effectively hurtling him backward and into the wall. He slumped for a moment before tumbling to the ground.

"Bakugo!" Both Kirishima and Uraraka shouted. The brunette sprinted his way, watching his decent to the floor. Just before he reached the dirt, she leaped and touched her fingertips on his arm. She breathed a sigh of relief when she caught him just in time. Thankfully, her quirk had kept their best contender in the game.

Bakugo groaned painfully, shaking the dust from his spiky hair. "I didn't need your help, round-face," He chided her.

"Not now, Bakugo," Uraraka urged. "We need a real plan."

"Uraraka!" Kirishima called and ran to her aid. "I think I have an idea."

He muttered it to the pair as quickly as he could, hoping they got the jist of it. They were running out of time. The walls were about to cave in. A limp Iida joined them a moment later and scooped Uraraka up in his arms as Kirishima acted as decoy to the beast. Bakugo stood up proudly, ignoring the pain in his back, and lit up a few more explosions to weaken it in the meantime. Before she knew it, Iida was racing to the finish line at the center of the shadow's core, his quirk boosting their speed considerably.

Tokoyami was hunched and unconscious as the monster within him had taken the wheel. Just as the shadow figured out their plan, Iida hurled her the final few feet to connect her hand with Tokoyami's chest. The towering shadow swiped mistakenly at Iida, slamming him to the ground. It whirled to face Uraraka but it was already too late. She had successfully activated her quirk.

The four students began their race out of the cave, Uraraka towing Tokoyami behind them with the use of her quirk, barely managing to dodge the attacks of the angry shadow. The walls trembled and groaned around them as they booked it out of there safely. The setting sun had just enough light left to offer in order to tame the beast and shrink it back down to a manageable size.

Uraraka sighed in utter relief as she slumped into the dirt. The other students saw their retreat into the sunlight and ran to their aid, ages too late in the eyes of the four battered students. As a bundle of students managed to awaken Tokoyami, allowing him to cage his shadow, everyone else hurriedly helped their beaten classmates.

Uraraka bleakly smiled as Midoriya helped her sit up, "Uraraka, are you alright?! What happened?"

She held a finger up, her mouth dry and dusty. "I really need some water, first."

Only she and Iida had suffered any serious injuries. Kirishima came out completely unscathed and Bakugo's back was sore. He also had a cut on his hairline from his first encounter with the shadow. However, all of them were absolutely filthy.

When the two supervising teachers emerged from the mess hall to see what the commotion was about, they felt like inadequate idiots for letting their guards down. Aizawa was quick to monotonously praise the four students for their bravery and heroism after being briefed on the events.

"You are amazing, Uraraka!" Midoriya gleefully praised her after he had learned what had happened.

She blushed lightly and shielded her face behind her bangs. "Thanks Deku! I only did what you would do!"

Bakugo sneered as he watched the pair a few yards from where he stood. It was disgusting how much she relied on Deku's approval. It's damn annoying!

"We saved the day, dude! Manly style!" Kirishima clapped Bakugo on the back proudly, causing the blonde to wince in pain. "Oh, sorry about that. I forgot about your back. How's it feelin'?

Just as Kirishima was apologizing, Uraraka wandered over, "Is your back feeling better, Bakugo?" She peered at him with large eyes. They flitted to his forehead, still creased with blood. "Let me look at that cut for you."

All this attention was beginning to freak him out. He hated being looked after. Bakugo scoffed everyone off, claiming he was fine and just wanted to be left alone. He stormed off into the trees, hoping for some peace and quiet.

Uraraka and Kirishima watched as he trudged away. The brunette looked sorrowful, "I really hope he's alright."

…

After dinner, Uraraka was feeling loads better. Her left eye was a little swollen and she ached all over, but it was manageable pain. On the contrary, Iida looked like he'd been hit by a train. Yaoyorozu and Jiro had offered to accompany her to the hot springs, but she declined. She really just needed some alone time. My, it had been a dramatic day, hadn't it?

It was completely dark by the time she was settled into the hot water. It felt amazing on her painful joints. When she had been invited to the summer camp, she had originally thought that it would be fun. Reflecting on the three pitiful days she had been here, she decided that it had been nothing but agonizing and frustrating.

Everything from her unsuccessful team-up with Bakugo to the argument they'd had yesterday was flat-out annoying. The incident with Tokoyami was just icing on her dandy little crap cake. She had thought she was going to die!

She pondered if she'd have to keep feeling like this for her next two years at UA High. It seemed like every week they were facing inevitable death and the looming Villain Alliance was a daunting thought that she could never seem to rid herself of. She wished she knew why they had such an infatuation with their class.

Maybe it was a bad idea for her to come to the hot springs alone after all. All she was doing was wallowing in self-pity and dread. Uraraka hated feeling like this and commanded herself to perk up. She was training to be a pro-hero, right? This sort of thing just comes with the job. She decided it was better that she learned that now rather than later down the line.

As her mind floated to her encounter with Tokoyami today, a mix of relief and pride swelled in her gut. Her plan had worked and helped save the day and her classmates. As much as her body hurt, she was glad with herself for being a part of the solution. _'I wonder if this is how Deku feels all the time...'_

Her friend Deku... Yes, she did admire him. Whenever he was around, everything felt like it would work out. Being around Deku was always so easy going and fun. She applauded his desire to always do the right thing and to never give up. He was becoming her inspiration to work even harder. If she could just be more like him, then she too could bring peace of mind to the people around her.

 _'I have so much more room to improve!'_

Her mind and body were weary as she exited the spring and changed into her pjs. She wrapped her pink towel around her hair before deciding to leave. The air was chillier in the mountains during the night. A soft breeze tickled her skin when she closed the bath house door behind her. As she turned to make her way back to her cabin, her eyes locked onto someone approaching.

Bakugo had seen her as she closed the bath house door but continued his way there, planning to ignore her. He hadn't shown up for dinner and had spent the last few hours alone, mulling over his day. He had waited until everyone had gone to bed before reappearing and deciding to finally clean himself up.

When she caught sight of him, her eyes widened in shock. "Oh, hey Bakugo! I didn't see you at dinner."

Bakugo was irritated by her voice but decided to engage her, "I didn't want you fuckin' around with me again."

She knew he was referring to her surprise visit to his lunch table. "Oh yeah, I'm sorry about that." She fiddled with a strand of her hair that had escaped her towel wrap.

Bakugo sneered disgracefully and went to pass her but she piped up again. "You're still all dirty from the fight… Oh! How's your cut? Actually no, how's your back?"

Bakugo seethed at her prodding. Did this girl ever shut up? "It's fuckin' fine! And why else would I be here? I'm fuckin' cleaning up now!"

She hid her eyes from him, guilt climbing into her chest. "Well, I just want to say thank you for what you did earlier."

Bakugo didn't know what she was referring to. "Eh?"

She twirled the stray hair around her finger a few more times. He was going to make her say it again? "Thank you for saving me, Bakugo."

Oh, that. "Fuck off, round-face! I don't need your shitty thanks. Save yourself next time!"

He was right. She finally turned back toward him, smiling fully. "I will."

Bakugo didn't know how to take that, so he just slammed the door to the bath house open. "Leave me the hell alone!"

With that, he disappeared behind the door and Uraraka was left alone in the cool night. She pondered over their conversation as she walked back to her cabin. He wasn't making a fuss about saving her earlier today and she had fully expected him to gloat about it. On top of the actual act of saving her, she decided that maybe Bakugo really wasn't all bad. It dawned on her that he might know more about what heroism is that she does.

…

Bakugo leaned into one of the mirrors of the locker room inside the bath house to examine the scrape on his forehead. It wasn't too bad, but the blood had matted into his ash blonde hair. His face and body were smudged with grime and he recalled being smacked down inside the cave. It fucking irritated him that he hadn't seen that shit coming.

His muscles were strained, his back ached, and his hands were cut up pretty good after all the roughhousing he had done all day. But his pride was fully intact and healthier than ever. He puffed out his chest to admire his reflection. All he was missing was a tattered hero costume. Yeah, he definitely looked like a badass. A haughty and satisfied grin blew up on his face.

"Like what you see?" A voice teased from the doorway.

Bakugo snapped his head in the direction of the voice and saw an amused Kirishima at the door. A smarmy grin was painted onto the redhead's features.

How had he not heard him coming in? Bakugo bore his teeth at the redhead, "Fuckin' say one more word, I dare you."

Kirishima waved dismissively at the blonde bastard before wandering in a few more steps. "I know, I know."

"What do you want?" Bakugo spat, infuriated that Kirishima had seen him like this.

Kirishima shrugged, "I was looking for you earlier, but I assumed you didn't want to be found. I saw you heading here from our cabin, so I decided to follow you."

Bakugo was severely unamused. "I asked you a fuckin' question."

Kirishima rolled his eyes and leaned against one of the lines of lockers, crossing his arms across his chest. "I was wondering if you were okay, but I already know the answer to that question."

"Then get lost!" Bakugo replied, his tone laced with loathing.

Kirishima ignored the unspoken threat and carried on, "I saw you talking to Uraraka. How was that?"

Bakugo fought to keep his cool. He'd been in enough fights today and the last thing he needed was to get into trouble with the teachers. "That dolt? She just wanted to kiss my ass and annoy me."

Kirishima blinked knowingly back, "Well saving her was super manly! I'd say you made quite an impression on her today."

Bakugo's ears perked curiously, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Kirishima left the blond guessing. "I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt to go a little easier on her, you know? I can leave you alone now, if you want."

"Please do!" Bakugo seethed, his anger growing by the second.

Kirishima took his weight off the lockers he was leaning on and walked out of the locker room with a simple wave, leaving Bakugo to admire himself privately once again.

However, the blonde just didn't feel like it anymore. Kirishima had a fucking annoying habit of making him second guess himself. He glared himself down in the mirror, curious if his intensity alone could shatter the glass between himself and his reflection. What did that damned idiot mean when he said he'd made an impression on that round-face twit? Ever since he'd gotten to the camp, all that girl had done was give him grief. Why would he go easier on her now? He clenched a pissed off fist over the porcelain sink.

He thought about what do for a while to deal with the stupid girl and settled on finding her in the morning. He needed to tell her to leave him the fuck alone. Her annoying smile was getting on his final nerve and he wasn't going to sit around and take her shit anymore.

All he did was catch her before she hit the wall, right? It wasn't a fuckin' favor, it was an obligation. That's what heros do! She owed him for being too weak to fight and forcing him to do it on her behalf. That air-head was gonna get the earful she deserved tomorrow if it was the last damn thing he ever did.

He grunted at his menacing reflection before dismissing himself to bathe, his confidence back intact. Yeah, he's definitely a badass and everybody is going to realize it when he becomes the number one hero. He didn't care who he had to squash in order to get there.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _I just love writing Bakugo. He's so complex and it's fun to play around with his thoughts._

 _Sorry for not updating sooner! I intended to post up this chapter last night, but after reading through all of your reviews, I scrapped it and started over. It just wasn't quite up to my standards and I wanted to make sure you guys would be happy with it too. Hopefully, it turned out the way I wanted it to._

 _I so enjoyed reading your reviews and to those of you who are making requests, I hear you and I will see what I can do for you! :) Thank you to Clarissa Kirishima, sophrosine, and H.C.K.L for your super awesome responses! I really do appreciate them!_

 _Thanks for reading! I'll update soon, I promise!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	11. Bet on It

The next morning, Bakugo was the first to leave the cabin with a determined grimace. The first hints of light were peeking over the mountains and beginning to wipe the dewey chill from the air. Kirishima and Kaminari were always slow to get going in the morning, much to Bakugo's frustration, so he left them behind to track down a bubbly brunette.

He wandered into the main camp area and browsed for her. Her bunkmates were lounging around the bath house chatting about, what he assumed, annoying girl stuff. The idiot one with the long black hair laughed boisterously and waved her hand at the earphone-head girl. Bakugo rolled his eyes. Shouldn't round-face be with them?

He scanned the camp once more, his red eyes squinted with focus and his hands digging deeper in his pockets. His eyes caught hold of the brunette a few moments later. ' _She's an early riser.'_ Bakugo smirked and began making his way toward her.

The mornings were Uraraka's favorite time of day. It was the alone time she needed in order to be ready for the day's activities. Back home, this was the only quiet time she'd get so she'd formed a habit of meditating each morning. It was the only way she knew how to gather her thoughts and mentally prepare for whatever hard work waits for her.

She gazed over the lake and let the breeze gently tousle her hair. She took a long and deep breath, satisfaction and peace settling over her. The sounds of nature were soothing and calming enough to create the most ideal meditation spot. Nothing could ruin this perfectly relaxed moment for her.

"Oy, round-face!"

Well, except that.

Uraraka was effectively startled, her arms flailing for a moment before she looked behind her to see a fuming blonde heading her way. She gulped and wrestled her body around to face him, maintaining her floating position. She re-crossed her legs and smiled at him, "Good morning, Bakugo! How did you sleep?"

Bakugo finished his approach and gave her a dead look, "We need to talk." He crossed his arms against his chest and stared harshly at the hovering girl.

Uraraka laughed awkwardly, pulling on the drawstring of her sleeveless hoodie. She hadn't readied herself for the day yet, so she simply donned yoga pants, a white tank top, and her hoodie. She felt dramatically underdressed, "What's up?"

Bakugo tilted his head judgmentally, "I'm tired of you fuckin' with me"

Uraraka's expression remained in the same surprised look. ' _He's always straight to the point, isn't he?'_ She was silent for a moment, wondering what he was getting at. "What do you mean?"

Bakugo's demeanor didn't budge, "We aren't friends so quit trying."

Uraraka's face fell from surprise into amusement, "Okay, whatever you say, Bakugo."

He looked grim as he watched her be entertained. Was she not taking him seriously? "I'm serious round-face. This is the only warning you're going to get."

"Hmm…" Uraraka tapped her chin thoughtfully, still hovering above her claimed rock. "Did I do something to upset you?"

Bakugo blinked. His expression didn't change, but he was struck with shock over her arrogance. "Are you serious? Try everything you've said all week. I'm tired of your shit."

Uraraka was slightly taken aback, unsure how to respond. "Errr… Alright."

No, that answer isn't good enough. He wanted to hear her promise to leave him alone.

Bakugo growled and uncrossed his arms to shove his hands back into his pockets. "Leave me alone, round-face. You got that?!"

He was stonewalled immediately when she laughed at his intensity. Yes, she _laughed_. At his expense! Bafflement stirred behind his angry eyes. _'Who does she thinks he is?!'_

She swiped a loose hair behind her ear and finished her girlish giggle, "Bakugo... You're so predictable sometimes."

Bakugo's fists clenched in his pockets, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

She shrugged in response, a smile still hinted on her lips. "I didn't think it'd be easy to make friends with you, so I figured you'd eventually lash out like this."

Bakugo went rigid at her callousness, resisting the urge to pick a fight. "I don't want your friendship, fuckstick."

Uraraka smirked back at him, her lips twitching to smile. "Tell you what," She pointed up matter-of-factly. "Why don't we make this a friendly wager?"

Bakugo's brain told him to walk away but his competitive heart forced him to say. He could never turn down a competition. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but listened. _'This had better be good.'_

She smiled at herself for playing with him like this. When it came to any sort of competition or game, Bakugo was an open book. "Whoever performs better during training today will win, deal?"

Bakugo's ears perked. She was making this too easy for him. "What's the catch?" His tone was low and begrudging, but his eyes were sparked with interest.

Uraraka grinned in response. "If you win, I will leave you alone like you want. But if I win? Well, you have to be my friend all day tomorrow. In other words," Uraraka settled her excited eyes on him, "You'll have to be nice to me."

Bakugo fought back a devilish grin. The stakes were high, but his cocky attitude overtook his logical thinking. "You have a deal, round-face."

His reasoning was simple; he was a natural in any training setting so he'd have no problem beating out Uraraka. If he wins... No, _when_ he wins, she'll finally leave him the hell alone and things can go back to normal. What was one more day of minor distraction, anyway? It's a competition so there is motivation to work harder. He's going to be the best regardless, so what's the harm in betting on it? This little wager was already tipping in his favor.

Uraraka giggled and settled her hands into her lap. "Alright then! You're on, Bakugo!"

Bakugo smirked, letting his arrogance show in full display, "I'll crush you."

She watched his proud shoulders walk away and she giggled internally. He probably wouldn't have made that wager so quickly if he had known what they were doing in training today. She mentally patted herself on the back for asking Present Mic what they had planned for the students to do today. When she had run into the teacher this morning, he was more than happy to spill the beans to her. This little wager was now tipped in her favor.

…

"I AM HERE!" All-Might erupted as the class gathered around him and the other two teachers. Unfortunately, the number one hero had missed the last few days of camp to go serve the police in their search for the Villain Alliance. However, the overly buff hero was chuffed to be back with his students in time for their last two days of camp.

Bakugo caught Midoriya grinning happily and it made him sick. Sure, everyone looked up to All-Might and wanted to be like him, but something about Midoriya's relationship with the number one hero didn't sit right with Bakugo. He wouldn't even describe Midoriya as having a relationship with All-Might, it was more of an infatuation in the eyes of the blonde.

Uraraka was standing beside the dolt with the green hair, her hands clasped in front of her excitedly. Bakugo wondered briefly if she had some sort of plan that he was falling victim to. No, she wasn't bright enough to come up with something like that.

"Alright students!" All-Might broke Bakugo from his thoughts and he turned his attention back to the eccentric teacher. "You have all done remarkably well on your quirk extension training! However, the provisional license exam will not test you on strength alone, it will also test you on all of the other aspects of being a hero!"

The students looked at each other curiously, waiting for their teacher to elaborate.

All-Might rested his hands on his waist, his chest puffed out proudly. "So today we will be performing rescue operations. It is an essential part of being a hero and one that every hero is expected to do during any hero op. It is important that you not only defend the victim from further harm, but also escort them to safety. This will be your task today."

Uraraka resisted the urge to beam and clap excitedly. This is what he quirk was made for. She knew she would dominate today's training and win her little bet with Bakugo.

Aizawa cut in for All-Might, "We aim for authenticity at UA High, so you will be doing more than just retrieving one of your classmates. You will also be required to defend against a villian. You will be facing off against Present Mic or myself." He held up the same weights that the teachers had to wear for their final exams. The class observed. "Of course we will be leveling the playing field somewhat, but this will not be any kind of walk in the park."

Now Uraraka found herself gulping now. ' _Maybe this won't be quite as easy as I thought it would be… Present Mic didn't say anything about this!'_

All-Might took back the wheel from Aizawa to talk to the class, "You do have options. If you would like, you may work in pairs of two or you may work alone. Those who decide to work alone will not be given any kind of leniency, so choose wisely students!"

"We will begin in one hour, so make up your minds." Aizawa finished and dismissed the students.

Midoriya immediately turned to Uraraka, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Uraraka, we should definitely pair up!"

Uraraka grinned back at her friend, preparing herself to say yes. Before she could get the words out, she saw Bakugo in the background looking determined and standing idly. It dawned on her that he was planning on going it alone. If she didn't do the same, then he might dock her points in their hypothetical competition.

"Actually," Uraraka began to reply, refocusing her gaze on Midoriya. "I think I should probably try doing this by myself." Her smile had all but disappeared now.

He tilted his head back at her, his eyes curious and prodding. "Are you sure? It's going to be tough going up against our teachers all by yourself."

Uraraka waved her hands in front of her, "I'll be fine! I want to try and get stronger on my own, but next time we can definitely work together!" She forced the smile back on her face to hide her disappointment. It sure would be handy if she could count on Deku to take care of their teacher while she performed the rescue, but she just had to win this competition.

"Alright," Deku scratched the back of his head, confused by her obviously fake enthusiasm. "Let me know if you change your mind, okay?"

She gave him a thumbs up, "Deal! Just make sure you're cheering me on, okay?"

Midoriya laughed with her, insisting that he would certainly cheer her on. The normalcy of their friendship began to ease Uraraka's nerves and his praises brought back her confidence. Yeah, she could definitely win this!

…

"Begin!" All-Might shouted enthusiastically, smiling as always.

Iida and Ashido had paired up to save Yaoyorozu from Present Mic. The moment that All-Might marked the start, Iida was sprinting toward Yaoyorozu and Ashido was engaging their teacher. Her struggle against his sonic booms were was immediately apparent. Iida made his first move to go around the teacher, but was just as soon knocked down with a series of thunderous shouts in his direction.

"Nice try, Tenya!" Present Mic boomed at the sprinter.

The rest of the class spectated from atop one of the mountain's cliffs, covering their ears at the overwhelmingly loud insults that Present Mic was mocking their classmates with.

"Iida is _so lucky_!" Mineta complained, tears threatening his eyes. "I'd give my left arm to be saving Yaoyorozu and her luscious body. I can see it now..." Drool dripped from Mineta's chin as his eyes glazed over, clearly daydreaming about being her hero.

Most of the class had grown accustomed to Mineta's perverseness, but Bakugo still gave the grape-head a sourly disgusted look.

"This is going to be tough!" Kirishima blurted out, holding up fists and flexing his arms. His sharpened teeth broke into a grin. "But Kaminari and I are going to win, for sure!"

Kaminari cheered with this friend, lending toward Kirishima's pep talk. They began to pow-wow and hype themselves up for their operation.

Bakugo rolled his eyes irritably, trying to keep himself focused on winning. There was only one more match before he was up. If anybody was going to shine today, it was going to be him.

Ashido plugged her ears as she slicked her way toward their pretend villain opponent. She cringed as another vicious sound wave rolled over her again. Despite their original set-back, she was already making a comeback.

When she began closing in on Present Mic, Iida let her distraction make an opening to race toward Yaoyorozu. They didn't have to beat the teacher, they just had to save their victim in order to triumph.

Yaoyorozu sat in the dirt, her back leaning against a tree. She nonchalantly picked at her perfect fingernails and spoke unexcitedly as Iida approached. "Oh my, please save me…" Her tone was laced with sarcasm.

"Do not fret, young lady!" Iida urged her with an overly dramatic tone. "I shall save you!" Of course the class rep would take this far too seriously.

Yaoyorozu blinked, unamused with her rescuer. She stopped checking her nails and waited for Iida to act.

He scooped her up in his arms and winced a little. His back was still pretty messed up from the tustle with Tokoyami, but he trudged along anyway. He began his sprint back toward the action, waiting for an opening to carry Yaoyorozu through. Ashido was barely managing to hold their teacher back, but Iida was still wary of Present Mic.

"Oh, Iida!" Present Mic mocked, turning his attention toward Ashido's male counterpart. "You didn't think it was going to be this easy, did you?" The sonic wave began making it's way toward the hero and the victim.

"Cover your ears!" Iida urged Yaoyorozu as he began sprinting past Present Mic. He had no choice but to push through head-on. The sound pierced his ears as he dashed forward, gritting his teeth. Holding Yaoyorozu made it impossible to cover his ears.

Present Mic waited until Ashido was a few feet from him before blasting her with another boom, sending her tumbling to the ground. Boom after boom after boom, Present Mic flayed the pair's ears, but they didn't give up.

What felt like hours passed, but it was only minutes before Iida had successfully carried Yaoyorozu across the finish line.

The spectating class clapped and cheered for their classmates below, but they were tuned out by Iida and Ashido's horribly ringing ears.

"Well done!" All-Might congratulated his students, commending them for their tenacity.

Iida bowed at the number one hero and shouted in response, "THANK YOU, SIR! WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY!"

All-Might blinked at Iida's outburst before it dawned on him that the boy simply could not hear properly, hence his yelling. He patted the male student on the head and dismissed the two students to recover. Ashido and Iida accepted the dismissal and began walking away, loudly shouting congratulations to each other.

The class mingled for a few minutes before All-Might called the start of the next rescue operation. All eyes were down on the field below them as Todoroki took the stage against Aizawa. He was first in the class to try his hand at the rescue op alone.

Todoroki had faced Aizawa before, so his movements were calculated. From his first step, he knew that Aizawa had erased his quirk so he moved into the trees, hiding from Aizawa and slinking through the bushes. The teacher had to blink eventually and he'd know that he could strike when that happened.

The class watched excitedly as Todoroki quietly snuck through the trees and bushes, stopping every few feet to re-conceal himself. Aizawa listened intently as he stood at the edge of the trees, hoping that Todoroki would give himself away before he had to blink. However, his eyes were beginning to dry out and the urge to wet them was overwhelming.

Finally, the teacher blinked and Todoroki made his move. He cast a long and tall ice wall between himself and the teacher. The wall not only protected himself from Aizawa's quirk, but gave him a straight line to reach Toru Hagakure. After that, it was a sprint to get to the victim in need of saving first.

Of course, Todoroki had not quite thought of everything. As soon as he escaped the trees to capture Hagakure, Aizawa was ready and waiting. He had easily outrun the half-hot-half-cold quirk user to his destination. With the weights on the teacher, Todoroki was shocked to see Aizawa as he came up on Hagakure. He should have been here first, right?

Todoroki didn't waste a breath as he attempted to activate his left side and place an attack on the teacher. But Aizawa's quirk was much more suited to speed than Todoroki's. When the fire attack failed, Todoroki abandoned the idea of an attack and grabbed Hagakure, dragging her back to safety behind his wall of ice. He couldn't sneak her through the forest, so it was now an all-out sprint to the finish line.

Aizawa wasn't anyone to be taken lightly. He quickly skirted to the other side of the wall, his scarf acted quickly to entangle the rescuer and the rescued but Todoroki's calculations didn't go to waste yet. He anticipated the teacher's moves with ease and ducked both himself and Hagakure when the scarf attempted to catch hold of them.

Aizawa blinked again and Todoroki used the opportunity to throw up an enormous ice mountain, much like he did in the sports festival. Aizawa was fast enough not to let the ice capture him, but he was effectively cornered between the first icy wall and the new icy mountain. The kid was good, Aizawa mused to himself.

Todoroki made it back to the finish line without breaking a sweat and set Hagakure back onto her feet. He could hear her clapping and thanking him, but he couldn't see the action. "That was amazing Todoroki! You've gotten so strong!"

Everyone watching was stunned. Todoroki made the rescue operation look so easy and simple. How would they ever be able to top that?

Bakugo bristled at Endeavor's son. He would make Todoroki's accomplishment pale in comparison to his. Not only would he defeat Uraraka for the sake of their bet, but he'd pummel that stupid pretty boy while he was at it.

Now that his rescue op was over, Todoroki went to melt the ice he had scattered across the test area. It didn't take long for him to disintegrate it completely, opening the area up to the next rescue operation.

"Young Bakugo!" All-Might called to him, "You're up, my boy!"

Bakugo sneered with crossed arms and an even more cross attitude before making his way down the cliffs for his turn. Rescue operations weren't his specialty, but just for today, he'd make them his fuckin' forte for the sake of the competition.

Uraraka nervously bit down on one of her fingernails. Bakugo looked determined as he took his place at the start. He was facing Present Mic, but that didn't curb her nerves whatsoever. She knew he struggled with rescue ops, but as the thought of him saving her yesterday popped back up in her mind, she became increasingly worried. All he's done for the entire year was get stronger, smarter, and more intimidating. It hadn't really dawned on her that he might have increased his rescue capabilities until now. All she could hope for at this point was that she would perform better that he was about to.

"Begin!" All-Might burst out, allowing Bakugo to begin the operation.

In the blink of an eye, Bakugo was already bursting forward, his explosions setting him off with a great pace.

"Not so fast, Bakugo!" Present Mic amped up the volume, sending a thunderous roar in the blonde's direction.

If there was anything that Bakugo was good at, it was combat, so he timed his dodge properly and carefully. Using a bigger blast, he propelled himself upward at great speed, shooting above the sound waves.

Kirishima was balancing on a rock a decent distance behind Present Mic, "Oh, Bakugo! My hero!" He wailed sarcastically, dramatically resting the back of his wrist on his forehead. A boyish smile tugged on his lips. If Bakugo was going to be saving him, he'd at least make it worth his while.

"Shut the fuck up, Kirishima!" Bakugo snapped and sent a splintering blast in Present Mic's direction. The recoil of the blast disturbed the dust on the ground and elicited clouds of black smoke. Once he observed that Present Mic was engulfed in the blast's aftermath, he soared down from the air and rushed to Kirishima's side.

So far, the operation was going smoothly. Bakugo had managed to momentarily subdue the teacher, but now the hard work began.

"My hero!" Kirishima squealed as Bakugo ran up to him, tears of impending laughter pooling in the corners of his eyes. "Such a manly man!" He wiped at the tears, a smile threatening to to burst onto his face.

Bakugo was disturbed by Kirishima's inappropriate outbursts. "Shut the hell up or save your damn self!"

Kirishima almost couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, "Oh manly hero, I'm afraid I'm in need of saving! Please help me, a poor helpless girl!"

Bakugo felt a fury like no other raging in his gut, "Can it, asswipe! I don't want to hear that shit!" He clenched his fist menacingly and promised himself he'd beat the tar out of Kirishima as soon as they were finished.

He heaved Kirishima over his shoulder, "Damn it, Kirishima! What the hell did you eat today? A fuckin' bucket of bricks?!"

Kirishima covered his mouth and gasped girlishly, "Rude!"

Their squabble continued for another few seconds and both were unaware that Present Mic had emerged from the smoke and dust cloud.

"Oy, Bakugo!" The sonic boom washed over the boys before Bakugo even had time to react, knocking them both to the ground and nearly bursting their eardrums.

"Shit!" Bakugo cursed, dragging himself back up and re-securing Kirishima on his shoulder. Maybe rescue operations really weren't his thing.

Bakugo couldn't use his usual blast propellants with Kirishima weighing him down and he searched his brain for a plan. He noted that they're wide out in the open and vulnerable to another attack, but Bakugo didn't sweat under the pressure.

"I'm BORED!" Present Mic thundered at them, sending an entirely new shock wave in their direction.

There was only one option in Bakugo's mind. He dropped Kirishima off his back and pushed his palms out in front of him, facing Present Mic head-on. ' _A stun grenade should be able to do it…'_

Bakugo released a blast like he had yesterday morning, once again shaking the entire camp. The cliffs that the rest of the students spectated from shook and groaned with the pressure of Bakugo's blast colliding with Present Mic's. The repercussion was beyond words.

Trees fell flat all around them as the explosion met the sonic boom with raw and sheer force. Along with the tumbled trees, a massive dust cloud formed between the opponents, blocking each other from the other's sight.

Bakugo turned back to Kirishima, who was rubbing his behind sorely. The redhead squinted at the blonde, "A little warning goes a long way, Bakugo!"

"Would you shut the hell up already?!" Bakugo spat and grabbed Kirishima by the arm roughly and tossed him back over his shoulder. He sprinted toward the end, towing a much-too-heavy Kirishima and passing the finish line with a trickle of sweat on his brow.

The students above them applauded and All-Might judged his attempt at the operation with crossed arms. Bakugo dumped Kirishima in the dirt and immediately began chewing him out for his stupid antics. The redhead held his hands up defeated, laughing excessively at the blonde's over-reaction. It was much too easy to get under Bakugo's skin and Kirishima never missed an opportunity to poke the bear.

"Well done, Bakugo!" All-Might congratulated him with the same gusto as he had with Todoroki. "That was a smart move you pulled back there!"

Bakugo sneered without a thanks as he and Kirishima rejoined the class on the cliffs. He had done well, but he knew that he hadn't beaten Todoroki.

All-Might patted the blonde on the back encouragingly, "Next time, try not to be so awful to the person you're rescuing." The smiling face of All-Might undercut the insult of his comments. "Aside from that," The hero gave his student a mighty thumbs up, "Good job, indeed!"

Bakugo grimaced and ignored the number one hero. He felt like he had failed, but he covered it up with his signature pissed off frown. Becoming number one is a lot more work than he had anticipated.

Uraraka watched the exchange from a few yards away. After watching Bakugo work his hero magic, she was sincerely starting to doubt herself. Both Bakugo and Todoroki had some trouble trying to rescue their classmate, could she really do this all by herself?

Midoriya saw the unease on Uraraka's face and shook her from her weighty thoughts, "You're going to do great, Uraraka." Somehow, he knew why she was looking so worried. "Just remember that I'm cheering you on, yeah?"

She turned to meet his eyes and all her self-doubt washed away. "Thanks Deku," She beamed at him. "I'm going to kick some butt!"

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Yay! I'm finally able to update regularly again. If you're wondering, my test went wonderfully and I'm all caught up again :) To thank you all for being so patient over the weekend, I wrote an extra long chapter for you! Almost 1,000 more words!_

 _Also, I know some of you are dying for some fluff and I can assure you, it will come very soon. I have a ton of ideas that I'm trying to put into order, but I want to make sure the story gets there naturally and I want it to feel authentic. That being said, I think the next few chapters will surprise you guys :)_

 _I have said it before, but I'll say it again; please review! Thank you so much to Zangetsu50, Clarissa Kirishima, and H.C.K.L for your awesome responses!_

 _Thanks for reading and I should have a new chapter up tomorrow._

 _~NumberSixteen_


	12. Redemption

Uraraka ignored her nerves as she watched all of her classmates perform the rescue operation and everyone so far had been successful. They were nearly done and the day entered into late afternoon.

Kirishima and Kaminari were the second to last attempt at the rescue operation. Uraraka was next and her unsurity was wearing on her now. She needed to win this. It was more than just a silly competition now, her pride was at stake. However, her desire to be successful was almost drowned out by her worries that she would fail.

Midoriya had comforted her a few times, but now she was avoiding him altogether. She needed to hype herself up on her own. She knew that her friend was becoming somewhat of a crutch for her and it was very hard to try and distance herself from him.

Below her, Kaminari and Kirishima still had their hands full with Present Mic. Uraraka watched as the two worked together in order to save Jiro. For a pair of rowdy boys, they definitely bounced off each other well in any battle or training setting. She wondered mildly if Bakugo was the same way when he worked with them.

As if the saying were true; speak of the devil and he shall come, Bakugo walked up beside Uraraka. He narrowed his eyes to look down at his two friends busy with Present Mic, but he did not utter a word to Uraraka.

She blinked and glanced at him, ' _Is he trying to intimidate me or something?'_

Bakugo knew that his presence was making the brunette uncomfortable and he was satisfied with himself. He had done well on his rescue operation earlier, but it was still beatable. In order to ensure his victory over Uraraka, he needed to keep her unfocused. So he stood quietly, shuffling his hands in his pockets and sending a silent message to Uraraka that he refused to accept defeat.

With the sudden appearance of Bakugo, Uraraka was unsure what to think. Was there something he wanted to say? Why would he come over here to say nothing at all? Maybe she should just ask him. "What's up, Bakugo?" She was surprised that her voice came out so steady.

Bakugo blinked but didn't look at her. "Don't forget about our little bet, dumbshit."

Uraraka breathed out tentatively, "Like I could."

Bakugo sneered but didn't reply.

"So," Uraraka tried to revamp the conversation, "You were awesome out there."

With hands digging into his pockets, the blonde replied, "Don't sound so surprised, dipshit."

Uraraka felt a twinge of encouragement ignite in her chest. His arrogance was his strongest motivator, so maybe she could have a little bit of that as well. "Well," She began, "I wouldn't count me out yet. I'm going to win, for sure!" The twinge grew into a small flame of anticipation.

Bakugo scoffed, "Yeah right."

Little to Bakugo's knowledge, this little banter he had struck up with Uraraka was exactly what she needed before her turn. Her confidence was built up again and she was holding up her chin proudly. She wanted to succeed not to just beat Bakugo, but for the sake of winning. She was stronger now… She can do this.

She stood silently with Bakugo while Kirishima and Kaminari successfully brought Jiro over the finish line. The class applauded them and the pair congratulated themselves for their success. The final rescue operation of the day was looming and Uraraka was finally feeling up to the task.

As if on cue, All-Might called her and directed her to the training area below.

…

Uraraka stood at the starting point, ignoring the eyes of her classmates above. Aizawa was a couple hundred yards from her, staring her down. She didn't have a plan yet, but she knew she could form one under pressure. This was her time to shine, after all.

She bit her lip and commanded her nerves to relax. She took a starting pose and stared ahead with a renewed determination. _'I can do this. I can do this. I can do this!'_

"BEGIN!" All-Might called from overhead, signalling her to start.

Her initial reaction was to run toward Mr. Aizawa. She knew that touching her teacher would do no good for her quirk, but it was the only plan she had so far. Ashido was sitting against the cliffs further away, silently cheering Uraraka on to come save her and was surprised when the brunette rushed their teacher.

Aizawa hadn't erased her quirk yet. He'd do that once she touched something in an effort to preserve his eyes. He was unfazed as she hustled toward him and he moved to capture her in his scarf. Just as the scarf was about to reach her, she changed course completely. It confused him for a moment but began to stalk after her.

Running toward Ashido now, Uraraka was scratching her brain for an idea. She couldn't use her quirk on Ashido with Aizawa still present. Should she try to take care of Aizawa first or rescue Ashido without her quirk? Maybe she could do both? _'What do I do?!'_

As the thoughts raced through her head, she came up to Ashido. Upon reaching her pretend victim a plan began to circle around in her mind, fighting to complete itself. Of what she had thought up to this point, staying near Ashido was her best option. If she could somehow disable Mr. Aizawa's quirk, then she wouldn't be too far from Ashido to perform the rescue. It dawned on her then that her only option was to take down her teacher.

Aizawa took purposeful steps, examining Uraraka as he came closer. She crouched a few yards from Ashido, her eyes pooled with determination. He wondered what her next move would be for a moment as she reached for a few rocks. Assuming she planned to use her quirk, he promptly erased it and jettisoned his scarf out to nab her.

Uraraka touched her fingertips to the stones on her left and knew that Aizawa had erased her quirk. Allowing him to think he was in control was the center of her half-baked plan, so she moved to dodge the scarf but still allowed it to encircle her. Upon capture, Aizawa began to call back his scarf, yanking a grumbling Uraraka with it. As he dragged her back to himself, he felt disappointed at her lack of effort.

While she was tugged along, Uraraka finalized her plans and readied herself for her counter attack. Just as Uraraka came within a few feet of her teacher, she twisted her body around in the scarf to face him, a smile tugging on her lips. Aizawa squinted his drying eyes at her inquisitively.

Uraraka then initiated her plan, using both hands to grab on the scarf encircling her on her left. She threw the entire weight of her body into her back and pulled hard, jolting the teacher down a few inches. Between him leaning over and her regaining her balance, she kicked her foot wildly in the dirt.

When Aizawa looked back at his student, he didn't see anything but a cloud of dust heading his way. Before he had time to cover his eyes, the dirt met it's target. Aizawa hissed painfully and went to rub his eyes, forcing him to loosen his scarf's grip on his student.

This was Uraraka's chance and she couldn't keep the triumphantly determined smirk off her face. Her impromptu plan had worked and she had disabled Aizawa's quirk with nothing more than a little dirt from the earth she stood on. She yanked on the scarf again, pulling her disoriented teacher into the dirt and urgently untangled herself from his grasp. Her quirk was active again, but she needed to guarantee her victory before her teacher had the upper hand on her once more.

She raced up to Mr. Aizawa and crouched over his back, breathing calmly and purposefully. She grabbed the scarf and yanked his hands from his eyes before wrapping up his wrists. In order to win, she had to completely immobilize him.

Aizawa's chin and chest met the ground as she forced him all the way down with her knee. Finishing her knot behind his back, she could move to phase two of her plan.

Leaping up, Uraraka's eyes fell on a stunned Ashido. "We have to hurry!" The brunette mumbled out and ran to the acid user's side.

"That was amazing, Uraraka!" Ashido praised her as she let Uraraka touch her shoulder.

Uraraka laughed awkwardly and allowed her quirk to lift Ashido. She grabbed the other girl's wrist and began pulling her toward the finish. Out of the corner of her eye, she observed her teacher attempting to loosen his bindings, his eyes still squeezed shut in pain.

A breath of relief mixed with success escaped her lips as she pulled Ashido across the finish line. There was a deafening silence before the class roared with excitement and applause. She had done it. Not perfectly, but she had done it.

All-Might called the match and Uraraka ran back toward Mr. Aizawa. He had finally managed to release himself from his restraints and was running his eye drops through his red, puffy eyes. As she approached, he gave her a grim look.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Aizawa!" She apologized profusely. Guilt ripped through her chest as she saw the state of her teacher's eyes.

He blinked multiple times at the girl before a smirk of approval made an appearance on his face. "That was very well done, Uraraka." He pocketed his eye drops and moved to stand.

She gasped in surprise but nodded her head, "Thank you, sir."

"It's not every day that a young student like yourself successfully attempts to defeat their opponent in order to save a civilian." Aizawa rubbed the last of the dirt from his eyes. "It was brave and unforeseen."

Uraraka accepted the praise and let him escort her back toward the class that was now gathering at the bottom of the cliffs.

"Wow!" Midoriya ran up to her, "That was amazing, Uraraka!"

Iida followed after him and nodded his head approvingly, "You have come a long way, Uraraka."

She beamed at her two friends, thanking them humbly.

All-Might walked up to the trio, a proud grin plastered on his face. "Clearly, we saved the best for last. Magnificent job, young Uraraka!" He patted the brunette happily. "Congratulations on your success. Not only did you save the victim, but you also managed to immobilize your opponent. In a real fight, you would have guaranteed that the villain would not have given chase. Very well done, indeed!"

Uraraka couldn't fight off the smile on her face. Her features lit up as her classmates congratulated her, agreeing with their teachers. She wondered briefly why she was ever worried about the rescue operation in the first place.

…

Bakugo was mad. No, he was absolutely furious. A rage comparable to hell fire roared in his chest as he watched Uraraka battling against Aizawa. When her rescue operation had started, her chances of success had looked delicately slim and Bakugo had not been the least bit surprised. However, as the match progressed, he felt a sudden dread.

He clenched his fists angrily as she kicked up the dirt in the teachers face, effectively cancelling out his quirk. Uraraka was starting to make it look easy to go up against a pro as she tackled the teacher to the ground and started binding his wrists behind his back. She didn't look frantic or concerned at any point during this. She looked fierce and formidable.

"Damn!" Kirishima cheered for the girl below. "Uraraka is kicking ass!"

Kaminari's jaw was agape, "Was she always this strong?"

"Shut the hell up!" Bakugo ordered his friends, not daring to take his eyes from the scene below. There is no way she just did that. How could such an ignorant girl be outshining him?!

Everyone watched silently as she ran to Ashido and activated her quirk to carry her to safety. Her retreat was the longest moment of Bakugo's life. He was baffled when she crossed the finish line. It became clear that her rescue effort was unmatched.

The class erupted into cheers of praise and amazement. All-Might could be heard laughing out loud at Aizawa's predicament. Separate from the rest of the class, Bakugo was stunned at her results. He was almost impressed with her ability to hold her own against their teacher, but he trampled down those feelings and replaced them with disdain.

Unfortunately, he had lost their bet and that made him furious.

When the class gathered at the bottom of the cliffs, signalling the end of their training for the day, Bakugo wasn't sure what to do with himself. Everyone was talking about Uraraka and it was making him fume. If he heard her name one more time, he was going to kill them all.

"Dude," Kirishima joined the isolated blonde. "What's your deal?"

Bakugo sneered at the redhead, "None of you fuckin' business."

Kirishima followed Bakugo's angry gaze toward Uraraka, who was still beaming with her classmates as they walked toward the mess hall for dinner. Kirishima deciphered the blonde's reaction as a distaste for Uraraka's success. "Whatever, man. She did a good job so there's no point in being so sour about it."

Bakugo was irked by Kirishima's ignorance. "She fuckin' set me up!"

This nabbed Kirishima's attention, "Set you up? Set you up how?"

Bakugo grit his teeth and hissed out his response, "She knew this was going to happen, that's why she made that stupid bet with me!"

Kirishima blinked and looked at Bakugo curiously, "What sort of bet?"

The blonde's fuming became progressively worse, "She's so damn annoying! She bet me that she'd do better than me in training today. If I lost, then I would have to be her 'friend' all day tomorrow." Bakugo tensed up, "I fuckin' fell for that shit!"

Kirishima couldn't contain his amusement, "I have to hand it to Uraraka… She's more clever than I give her credit for."

"Fuck her!" Bakugo barked and began marching away.

…

After dinner had finished and everyone had washed up, Uraraka was finally left alone. It was already dark as she ran a brush through her damp hair. She was seated on a fallen log near the water, still riding on the high of her victory. Today had been a personal confirmation that she had grown exponentially since the sports festival. All the hard work and dedication she had been putting into her training was finally paying off in spades.

A soft smile played on her lips as she continued brushing through her hair and the breeze tugged at her sleeveless hoodie she had worn this morning. There was an air of peace over the camp as students settled into their cabins. Yaoyorozu and Jiro had left her alone a while ago and she was thankful for the break.

"You got so damn lucky today, dipshit." Bakugo's voice came from behind her.

Uraraka turned her head around to see him, his irritated face was barely lit by the moonlight. "Hey Bakugo!" She smiled sweetly at him. It dawned on her that this was almost a mirror to their discussion this morning.

He clenched his jaw and took the last few steps to stand beside her. "I don't like losing, so don't fuck with me."

She didn't let the grin escape from her lips, "I bet you weren't expecting that, huh?'

His eyes trained on her, glowing a deeper red in the darkness. "Fuck no. That shit was completely uncalled for."

Uraraka felt relieved that he wasn't immediately imploding their conversation. He seemed somewhat accepting of their bet. "Well if it makes you feel better, I thought I was going to lose after watching you. That explosion you set off was insane!"

Bakugo scoffed at her, letting his eyes linger on her happy face for a moment longer. It was becoming clear to him that she wasn't one to underestimate. He looked away and let his mouth fall into his signature thin frown. "Don't fuckin' torture me tomorrow."

Uraraka laughed at his omission, "I can't promise anything, but I will certainly enjoy it."

He wanted to be mad and chew her out, but he couldn't find the anger within to do so. Her laugh was refreshing and honest, so he simply reserved his anger for another time. He lost fair and square, so he sucked up his pride and tried to relax. "What's your deal anyway? Are you obsessed with me or something?"

Shock was written on Uraraka's face, "N-no!" She scrambled for words, "I just thought it would be good to get to know you. We haven't really talked since the school year started, so I figured it would be a good idea." She rested her hands in her lap and gazed forlornly at the lake, "You're so strong and determined, Bakugo. After working with you a few days ago, I guess I just realized that I could learn from you."

Her flustered demeanor didn't mean much to Bakugo as he accepted her excuses. Usually, compliments didn't do anything more than fuel his ego but her words felt genuine. "You want to learn from me?" He mocked her half-heartedly, "Why the fuck would you want to do that? Don't you have Deku?"

Uraraka flushed as his words bit at her. "Well," She pondered her words, "Deku and I are good friends, but I feel like I'm not really learning much from him anymore. He's so kind and friendly that everybody loves him. I just want to make sure I'm able to grow outside of that."

Bakugo was surprised, his red gaze looking back at her as she sadly watched the waves. He had always known that she had some kind of dependency on Deku but he wondered if she was beginning to outgrow that. "Well you showed us all up today," He was shocked at his response. "Even that damn moron Deku."

"T-Thank you," Uraraka blurted out, amazed at the new side he had allowed her to see. "Look, I need to apologize to you…"

He blinked at her as she met his gaze. "For what?" He spat back, forgetting his harsh tone.

She pulled on her hoodie's drawstring subconsciously, "For saying that you're a bad person."

Bakugo held her gaze, his eyes blazing with unintended interest. He had forgotten about that by now, so why would she bring it back up?

She broke her eyes away from him and looked down at her hands. "You're all tough on the outside, but I think that there really is some good in you."

Bakugo suddenly felt the awkward tension growing. Instead of continuing their conversation, he turned to leave. "Yeah whatever." He didn't look back as he strode away. He felt uncomfortable in his own skin as he retreated to his cabin, frustrated that Uraraka had seemed to see right through him over the span of four simple days. He regretted everything he had said and done all week to lead up to this point. It was his own damn fault for letting her get under his skin so easily. Tomorrow, he'd suck up his pride and promised to make sure that this stupid new "friendship" would die after she got her reward.

Nobody made a fool of Bakugo Katsuki, especially not some air-headed girl.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Sorry for posting later than normal, guys! I was really struggling to write this LOL. I've done so much editing on it that I just don't know how to feel about it anymore..._

 _Anyway, I hope you still enjoyed it and are just as excited for the next chapter as I am. If I thought this chapter was hard to write, I'm sure I am in a world of trouble for the next chapter!_

 _Sidenote: Please recommend some Kacchako stories to me! Especially the hidden gems. I need some new reading material and I'd love to read more Kacchako!_

 _Thanks for reading, you guys are so awesome :) Let me know what you think!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	13. Last Day of Camp Part 1

The final day of camp had arrived and everyone in the mess hall was chatting excitedly about their summer plans. Bakugo was seated beside Kirishima and across from Kaminari and Sero. He silently started into his breakfast as the three talked gleefully about their summers.

"We should all get together and train," Kirishima pointed out. "We have the provisional license exam at the end of summer, so I think it could help."

Kaminari and Sero agreed and began to eat.

"What about you, Bakugo?" Kirishima turned to the blonde. "Do you have some exciting plans?"

Bakugo always had great summer breaks. When he was a kid, he and his buddies would wander around causing enormous amounts of trouble and as he they got older they turned toward video games. His parents didn't really bother him during the break, setting him loose to do whatever he pleased. However, he felt that this summer would be different.

He glared at Kirishima, "I'm going to train all day, every day."

Kirishima cackled and patted Bakugo shoulder, much to the blonde's dismay. "That sounds boring! We should all hang out and do some stuff!"

Bakugo was about to retort rudely but was cut off when Uraraka joined their table. Pure annoyance filled his chest.

"Good morning, Bakugo!" Uraraka smiled but her eyes dared him to snap at her.

The blonde shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Hi." Yeah, today is going to suck.

Uraraka picked up her apple from her tray and bit into it, her mischievous grin never leaving her lips. "So are you guys talking about summer plans?"

Kirishima was the only one who knew Bakugo's predicament, so he tried to help the conversation along. "Yeah, actually. We are all thinking about getting together to hang out and train. Do you have plans?"

Uraraka set her apple back onto her tray and kept up her infectious smile, "I'm going to go back home for a few weeks to visit my parents and then I'm going to come down and stay with Yaoyorozu for the rest of the summer to see everyone. My family lives pretty far away, so I'll have to crash with someone to be closer to UA."

Kaminari gaped at her, "You're going to stay with Yaoyorozu on her family's estate?! You're so lucky!"

Uraraka giggled lightly, "I'll have to make it up to her somehow!"

Bakugo felt his nerves grating at the conversation. Who cared what anyone else does during the summer? He was simply looking forward to getting some peace and quiet after the long year.

Uraraka turned back to the menacing blonde, "What about you, Bakugo?"

He grit his teeth and tried to relax under her expectant gaze, "Training."

Short and curt answers were the best he could do to prevent himself from telling her to shut her damn mouth. Holding up his end of the bargain was going to be much more difficult than he anticipated. How could he be nice to someone?

Uraraka picked up on Bakugo's inner struggle and mused at his attempts. She had planned not to push his boundaries today, but it was very tempting. "That sounds like something you would do."

He was irked, but he jammed his retorts back down his throat. Instead, he occupied himself with his food and let the rest of the people at his table do all the talking. He hated sucking up like this, so he closed off his ears and tuned out the conversation. He didn't have to talk to her, he only had to not yell at her.

When breakfast had come to an end, Aizawa had announced that their final day of camp was free to them. They could train or relax. It was left to them to do whatever they desired. He called it a well deserved break after a rough week of training.

Everyone poured out the mess hall and began going their separate ways, talking amongst themselves about what their plans were for the rest of the day. Some decided to swim, some decided to train, and others opted to lounge in the sunlight and play games. Uraraka decided to hunt down her new friend.

She spotted him shuffling away toward the trees on the border of the main camp area, so she followed. It became clear to her that he was attempting to avoid her as she gave chase through the trees.

"Bakugo, please slow down!" She called out hopefully.

He stopped and threw his head back in annoyance, "What?"

When she caught up, she smiled at him. "I thought I would hang out with you for a bit."

He flitted his eyes back the way she came, "Don't you have Deku and four-eyes for that shit?"

She nodded and replied, "I told them I would hang out with them later today, so they'll be fine. I won our bet, so you're going to have to pay up."

Bakugo bit back a nasty retort and simply moved ahead once more, trying to hold his composure. "What do you want, round-face?"

She followed him as he began walking again, "I already told you that. I want to get to know you better."

His gait quickened, a reflection of his irritation, "What the hell do you want to know?"

She perked up at his question, "Good question!" She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "What do I want to know about you, Bakugo?"

Her smart mouth was only fueling his inner rage but he held his tongue as they happened upon the same clearing they had utilized on for their first day of training. He crossed the mossy ground to rest on a shady boulder, finally facing her. He rested his back on the rock comfortably, tucking his hands behind his hair. "Well?" He asked expectantly, a hint of indignation on his lips.

She wandered toward him and sat in a sunny sprout of grass, "What kind of food do you like?"

"Spicy." He responded curtly.

She nodded her head in recognition, "Favorite genre of music?"

He paused and pondered her question. "Metal, I guess."

She probably could have guessed that. "Umm…" She thought aloud, "What do you like to do in your past time?"

He squinted at her, "Train."

She was growing tired of his single worded answers. "Could you be more specific? I'm asking you what your guilty pleasures are, Bakugo."

' _Guilty pleasures? Why the hell would she want to know that?'_ He rolled his eyes at her, "I don't have any."

"Liar," She accused. "You must have one."

Bakugo was taken aback, "Fuck off."

"Hey," She pointed a finger at him, "You have to be nice, remember?" Her brown eyes narrowed and she furrowed her brow.

Bakugo didn't like this game. "This is stupid."

"Fine," She replied despondent, "Clearly, you suck at keeping up your end of our deal."

Her jab struck Bakugo in all the bad ways. "Well you suck at asking questions!"

She groaned loudly, covering her face with her hands. "I knew this was too good to be true."

Bakugo didn't necessarily feel remorseful, but he did feel a small amount of regret. "Damn it, round-face. I came out here to train, not waste my time. Either stay and train or get lost." The least he could do was extend an invitation to train. He hoped she would turn in down in favor of relaxing.

"Alright, fine." She grumbled and picked herself up from the ground. "But I want a rematch."

"Rematch?" He asked as he began to stand as well.

"Yeah," She held up a fist, "For the carrot thing. You do remember, right?"

She was referring to their day of training together. She had nearly won before he ate the carrot that they were sparring for. He stretched his arms and let his eyes go dark, "I remember. I'm not going to go easy on you this time."

She smiled wantonly back, "I'd be insulted if you did."

There wasn't much around to fight over, so they opted to simply just spar. The goal would be to defeat the other opponent and render them unable to continue by means of capture or overpowerment. Before long, both were positioned defensively and eyeing their opponent. The use of quirks was not allowed, so they were restricted to just their own hands.

"Bring it, jerk." Uraraka taunted, surprised at her own confidence.

Bakugo grit his teeth and went on the offensive, "You asked for it." He moved to strike her with a right hook and wasn't surprised when she anticipated it. She ducked low and swiveled out of his line of fire. He fell back a step and observed her defensive pose.

She smirked at his determined face. ' _He always looks so sinister!'_ She bounced back and forth on her toes, waiting for his next move. He jumped at her again and she noted how precise his footwork was. It was purposeful and demanding. He held hid his eyes behind his fists to conceal his intentions as he moved to strike, ducking and attempting to knock her off balance with his shoulders. She blocked his advance without a second to spare and bounced away from him. ' _He's so fast! I can't predict him.'_

When they had sparred earlier in the week, she had only seen his defensive moves. His offense was much faster and even more calculated than she had assumed it to be. For a guy that always appeared to rely so heavily on his quirk in combat, he didn't seem that way now. He was well practiced and quick on his toes. She admired his tenacious eyes for a moment as he allowed them to peer out from behind his fists.

She pouted and held up determined fists. "Come on, Bakugo. I know you're better than that."

He snarled at her taunts, musing at her refreshed attitude. He would have no issues taking her out, but he figured he'd play around with her some more. "Be careful what you wish for, round-face." He shot toward her again, ducking low once more and aiming for her abdomen. Just as he was about to reach her, she dropped her elbows to block and he smirked inwardly. She had so foolishly fallen for his trick. He abruptly ended his advance and instead jammed his hands between her forearms, forcing them apart. A devilish smile crossed his face when her eyes grew with shock. He ended the confrontation with a swift shoulder to her gut, knocking her off balance and sending her into the dirt.

She coughed for a moment, wheezing for breath. "Ow…" She murmured and rubbed the back of her head. When she sat up again, she found the audacious blonde standing above her with crossed arms and an evil glint in his eyes. "Well, it looks like you got me this once, but it won't happen again."

He almost laughed at her feeble threat. "Give up already."

"No way," She shot back and got to her feet. She quickly dusted the dirt from the back of her pants and returned to her defensive pose. "Let's go again."

He smirked and took his stance once more, pondering what he would practice next. To his surprise, he didn't get much of a chance to think because Uraraka was rushing him. He threw up a left arm to block her right hook and staggered due to his lack of preparation. He fumbled for his other fist, but was surprised once again when her palm struck his chest. She had hit him pretty hard, but his sheer mass kept his feet centered on the ground. Her attack had hurt, but it didn't do much more than that.

Her eyes widened when he didn't budge. Her attacks should have staggered him a little bit, right? She was now caught in a bad situation with no back-up plan. She tried to withdraw her hand, but he was already on the offensive again. He snatched her wrist and yanked her toward him. She fought to keep her center of gravity, but was unsuccessful as he began to twist her arm. She didn't have time to think, only time to act. Her left foot hit the ground and she propelled her right to kick him in the shin. Thankfully, she found her target and began to untwist herself in the aftermath.

Her wrist was still trapped in his tight hold, so she yanked her arm down as hard as her arm would allow. He was somewhat surprised at her move, and tensed his abdomen for her following knee to his gut, effectively preventing him from being hurt by it. The only success she had was his release of her wrist so she leaped back as soon as his grip was gone.

' _This is intense!'_ She fought to keep a worried look of her face. ' _Bakugo is a great fighter. I don't think I can beat him like this…'_

"Scared yet?" He teased and allowed his eyes to glare at her over his closed fists.

A new adrenaline pumped through her, "No way," She replied defiantly. Although she doubted her abilities in comparison to his, she knew this was the best way to improve.

He grinned a threatening smile and took the offensive once again. She was growing accustomed to his speed now and prepared to defend. However, she did not expect him to take to the air. With unbelievable speed, he launched himself off the nearest boulder and maneuvered himself over her to land behind her back.

As he careened over her head, she watched mystically. For a split second, it felt dream-like, but she was shattered from it when his battle-hungry grin fell on her face. Just before he landed behind her, she managed to summon up the forethought to turn and face him. She pivoted as quickly as her legs allowed, but he was already attacking. He rammed her shoulders with the palms of his hands and knocked her back a few inches. She stumbled for her footing and blocked his left jab to her right shoulder, barely managing to throw up a protective arm in time.

He was enjoying their spar immensely. However, he had decided that they had fooled around enough and he'd end it and save her from further embarrassment. He hunched his shoulders and went in for the finishing move while she was off her balance. He pressed his wrists together with palms out and drove them toward her chest. Just as they were nearing her, she saw them coming and threw both elbows up to protect herself. His hands collided with her forearms, but she still fell into the dirt. He cussed inwardly at her defiance.

She knew that in any fight, it was always a bad thing to be on the ground, so she knew she had to bring him down with her. As soon he had hit her and she began to fall, she threw her arms out to the side to catch herself and allowing her to re-utilize the momentum. As she hit the ground, she immediately used her arms to swing her body, more specifically her legs, around and strike him in his right calf. Using all the strength she had available to her, she managed to break his stance and topple him.

He felt himself losing balance and with her legs tangled with his, he had no control over his fall. His right leg crumpled and he reached his hands out in front of him to break his fall, only to find Uraraka in his way.

"Move!" He barked, his eyes widening as he descended to the ground.

She squirmed to try and get away, but his hands hit the ground on each side of her head, effectively caging her in and his torso collided with hers. Both teenagers were suddenly frozen in place. Bakugo was over her, dripping sweat from his spiky hair and she was below with bewildered eyes and cheeks that were growing pinker by the second. Both were panting hard from their spar and they stared at each other with horrified gazes.

Neither knew what to do or say for a few seconds as they looked at the other and tried to process their current position. It was like the moment clicked in both of their heads and they sprung apart. Bakugo rolled off her, his teeth clenched and his eyes blazing with discomfort. In an effort to shake off his embarrassment, he soared to his feet. He turned away as she scooted out from behind him with a shocked expression.

An awkward silence hung in the air for a minute or so. Neither knew what to say or do, so they remained tense with their backs turned to each other.

Uraraka clutched the collar of her shirt and panted, "Uh…" She started shakily. "I'm going to get get a drink of water." She hurried to her feet and ran into the tree line.

Bakugo heard her retreat and finally turned to see her bobbing brown hair disappearing into the woods. He released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. ' _What the hell was that?'_

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the late update. My cat has been ill the last few days and I finally decided he was ill enough that he needed to see a vet. He's good now but it cut into my normal writing time, hence the late update. Also, I apologize if this chapter felt a little rushed, it certainly was LOL. I will try to make sure this doesn't happen again._

 _Anyway, I loved writing this chapter. I'm getting excited to continue! For those of you who think the story will end after the camp, I am happy to inform you that it will certainly be continuing after the camp is over. Do not worry, more Kacchako is coming!_

 _I hope you guys enjoyed reading this and thank you for doing so! I'll see you soon :)_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	14. Last Day of Camp Part 2

Uraraka bolted through the trees until she approached the main camp. After exiting the treeline, she stopped to calm her racing heart and catch her breath. ' _What just happened?!'_

She remained in the shade for a few minutes, glancing behind to be sure that Bakugo didn't follow. Her classmates were dotted throughout the camp. A few swam in the lake, others enjoyed the sunshine, and some trained nearby. The teachers were lounging in shaded lawn chairs, observing the students as they entertained themselves. She was thankful that nobody seemed to notice her in this state.

It wasn't long before Uraraka spotted her bunkmates. They were hanging out on the back porch of the cabin, sipping cool drinks and talking with Ashido. She preferred not to join Deku's training match near the cliffs, so she opted to join the other girls. She calmed herself down and fought for her composure before leaving the treeline behind her.

When she arrived at the cabin, she could hear song-like laughter coming from the patio. She stopped at her bunk to change into fresh clothes and comb her hair before exiting the back door. She was met with Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Ashido clanking their drinks together merrily. As she passed the threshold, they looked over to her happily.

Yaoyorozu and Jiro were seated on the wooden chairs and Ashido was balancing on the railing. All three smiled warmly at the brunette as she leaned against the side of the cabin and crossed her arms. "Hey guys," Uraraka started carefully, hopeful not to give up her rattled mind.

Ashido furrowed her eyebrows curiously and sipped at her drink, "What's up, Uraraka?"

The brunette shrugged a reply and stumbled on her words, "Nothing really, I just needed to get out of the sun for a while."

Jiro nodded as Yaoyorozu rolled her head back and replied, "I don't blame you. It's so hot out today."

Jiro offered Uraraka a can of chilled soda, "Would you like a drink?"

Uraraka nodded excitedly, suddenly becoming aware of her dry mouth. The cold drink felt good in her hands as she accepted it.

"So how is your little bet with Bakugo going?" Ashido asked with a tilted head, her tone was prodding and uninvited.

Uraraka froze up as she tried to open her drink, "Well…"

At it wasn't a moment longer before Ashido was latched to Uraraka's hesitant reply, "Don't tell me he tried to beat you up again."

Yaoyorozu waved the pink gossip back, "Come on, Mina… This girl is too tough to let Bakugo get the drop on her again, right Uraraka?"

Uraraka gulped uneasily and nodded sourly, unsure how to reply. She hurriedly popped open the can and took a long drink, ignoring the carbonation burning in her throat. The atmosphere between the four girls changed from fluffy to curious as all three girls eyed the brunette. They knew something wasn't right as soon as Uraraka used her drink as an excuse not to speak.

The always brave Ashido took this as her opportunity to intrude, "So if he didn't beat you up, what did he do?"

Uraraka's cheeks flushed a light pink as she recalled her previous predicament with the hot-head blonde. In an attempt to hide it, she shook her head wildly. "Nothing! We just sparred and stuff." She lifted her fists and punched the air, "I got to practice my hand-to-hand combat. It was great!"

To Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Ashido, it was clear that Uraraka was overcompensating. Something was definitely amiss and they weren't about to buy the excuses she was selling.

Yaoyorozu could no longer hide her curiosity and leaned forward in her chair to get a better look at the flushed brunette. "That's all?"

Uraraka paused and pondered how to handle the situation. She could just tell them. She knew that they'd figure it out eventually and she suddenly felt the urge to talk about it. Her frustration nearly bubbled out of her, "No…" She let her arms fold over her chest again. "It was just so awkward!"

Ashido furrowed her brows again, "Awkward how?"

Uraraka unlocked her arms once more and flailed them in defeat, "We were just sparring and it was going fine, but then I tripped him and he fell on me. It was so embarrassing!" Her hands went to her face to cover her blushed cheeks.

All three girls were in shock. "Wait…" Ashido started slowly, "What happened exactly?"

Uraraka rubbed her temples with regret, "He just fell on top of me. It wasn't bad or anything, but it was just... Weird…"

Recognition was on the other girls' faces now and Yaoyorozu piped back up, "So what happened after that?"

Uraraka sighed and let her hands finally fall back to her sides. "I told him I was going to get some water and ran away."

All eyes were wide now at Uraraka's newest admission. Ashido stifled a chuckle, "Well that was stupid of you."

Uraraka turned to look at the girl perched on the railing, "Stupid?"

Ashido tapped herself on the right cheek with a dainty fingertip, "Yeah, that's just awkward situations 101. You never run away. I'll bet he's pissed now."

Yaoyorozu disagreed, "No way he's mad. I'll bet he's just as freaked out as you are. Bakugo and girls? I mean, come on. He's never been interested in anyone."

Uraraka suddenly felt uncomfortable, "No! It wasn't like that!"

The three girls brushed her off and continued their questioning.

Jiro nodded in agreement with the black-haired girl seated on her left. "He didn't say anything to you, Uraraka?"

The brunette shook her head and the three girls all made grunts of recognition. "What?" Uraraka asked, her tone exasperated. She was regretting her decision to tell them more with each passing second.

Ashido just shrugged and shielded their brown haired friend, "Don't worry about it. I'll bet he won't even remember it."

Ashido's words comforted Uraraka as she breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good, because I don't know if I could handle more awkward situations with that guy."

…

Bakugo was mad. No, he wasn't mad. How is he not mad? This entire week had gone to shit for him and now he had an entirely new problem to deal with. ' _This shit is ridiculous!'_

Bakugo had spent the rest of the morning trying to train but was so distracted and frustrated that he couldn't focus. He was mad at Uraraka for being so stupid and not mad at her for being so stubborn. It was a weird cycle in his head that kept trying to sort out his emotions. Was he mad or not? He didn't know.

He crushed a closed fist on a nearby rock, willing the rock to crack by sheer force of will. He hated being confused about anything. He always knew what he wanted and right now, he couldn't decide what to do with himself. How could one lousy sparring session scare her off so quickly? So what that he fell on her? It was her damn fault in the first place!

He clenched his jaw as his mind ran circles, ' _Now she's going to think she has to apologize and shit. Fuck this! I'm sick of her face!'_

He kicked at the dirt and let angry sparks ignite his hands. Oh man, he wanted to blow something up. Why couldn't he ever have some peace?

His stomach complained and in an effort to relieve his anger, he decided it would be better to ignore his problem and go search for some food. He stomped his way through the trees and all the way back to the camp, his patience running thin as he stalked over to the mess hall.

As if he couldn't be more annoyed, his merry band of idiots joined him on his way. All three boys were decked out in their swim trunks and damp towels hanging around their necks.

"Hey Bakugo!" Kirishima elbowed the blonde. "How's your day off going?"

Bakugo felt the urge to give up on food altogether. He didn't have the patience for Kirishima or anybody else right now. "Can it, dipshit."

Kirishima lifted his eyebrows teasingly, "Ooh… Is Bakugo mad?"

"I said shut the hell up," Bakugo didn't waste his breath with his normal raging. His mind was too busy to bother with his normal attitude.

Kirishima tapped his chin, giving Kaminari and Sero a quirked eyebrow. "So he isn't mad. Could our little Bakugo be experiencing emotions outside of anger?"

' _Damn that Kirishima bastard,'_ Bakugo cursed his friend privately. "Could you all just fuck off?"

Kirishima was the only one to pick up on Bakugo's serious attitude and understood. "Fine," He held his hands up mockingly, "We'll just go have fun without you."

"As usual," Kaminari poked fun but didn't get a response from the distracted blonde. Not even a dirty look? He supposed Bakugo really must be in one of his 'moods'.

The trio stopped following Bakugo and watched him walk the rest of the way to the mess hall.

"What's up with him?" Sero asked, his eyes training on Bakugo as he closed the mess hall door behind him.

Kaminari shrugged, "I ask myself that all the time."

Kirishima rubbed his chin, "I couldn't tell you." He turned back toward the welcoming waters of the lake, "Time for another swim boys?"

"Hell yeah!" Kaminari whipped the towel off his neck and raced Sero down to the shore. Kirishima hung back when he saw Uraraka on the patio of her cabin. She was obviously flustered as she talked to Ashido, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu. It piqued his interest and he observed them. Clearly, whatever they were talking about was not the normal gossip. He figured he'd get Ashido to spill.

...

It felt like ages before the girls on the patio dispersed. Ashido hopped the railing and waved a farewell to her friends before beginning her walk toward the bath house.

Kirishima was laying in the sand while Sero and Kaminari floated around in the water. He closed the lid to the sunscreen he'd been using and started toward Ashido. He intercepted her a few feet from the bath house.

"Ashido!" Kirishima called and waved.

She turned to see his red hair bouncing around his face as he approached. "Hey Kirishima! What can I do for you?"

"Well," Kirishima jogged the final few steps up to her, "I was hoping you could fill me in on some gossip."

A glint of interest gleamed in Ashido's eyes, "I could... But it'll cost you."

Kirishima laughed nervously, "I don't have my wallet with me-"

Ashido cut him off with a finger to his lips, "Nope, I only deal in the currency of gossip."

"Alright…" Kirishima nodded his head away from her finger. "What do you want to know?"

"That depends..." Ashido planted her hands on her hips, "It depends on what information you're looking for."

Kirishima scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "Well… I don't really know how to ask this…"

"Spit it out, Red Riot." Ashido emphasized his hero name in hopes of helping him grow a pair.

Kirishima was severely uncomfortable now, "Well, I guess I want to know if something happened to Uraraka and Bakugo." He averted his eyes, embarrassed he even had to ask.

Ashido fought back a smirk, "Sorry, but mum's the word on that one. Try another time." She waved and began to close the distance between her and bath house. "Unless you've got an even better piece of gossip for me in exchange, of course."

Kirishima folded his arms, his eyebrows furrowed, "Like what?"

Ashido shrugged, "If you can't think of something off the bat, then I guess you have nothing of my caliber."

Kirishima was frustrated now, "Can't I just owe you?" He squeezed his biceps in his folded arms, "Ashido, I need to know. Bakugo is acting really strange."

Her ears perked, "Strange how?" She stopped and turned back to him.

"I don't know!" Kirishima shrugged. "That guy doesn't tell me anything."

Ashido smirked, "Yet you know him better than the rest of us combined." She walked back toward him, "I'll tell you what," She lifted a threatening finger, "I'm going to take you up on that 'I owe you' offer and tell you what you want to know. However, if you so much as breathe a word of this to anybody, I will convince Bakugo to kill you for real."

Kirishima grinned, displaying his fangs, "Hell yeah, you're the best!"

"I'm serious!" Ashido touted again with a serious tone. "Uraraka is very upset and the last thing I want to do is make it worse. She's a nice girl and she deserves better."

Kirishima wrinkled his nose, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ashido sighed, "I swear, you boys are as dumb as rocks when it comes to anything but video games and sports." She exhaled again and leaned up to his ear. "Okay, you seriously can't tell anybody, but apparently Bakugo and Uraraka had a 'moment' when they were sparring earlier." She took a breath before continuing, "Bakugo fell on her and Uraraka says that both of them are super freaked out now."

Kirishima blinked when Ashido leaned away from him to display a smug look. "That's it? That's nothing."

Ashido gasped, "That is not nothing!"

Kirishima shrugged, already regretting his deal with her. "Bakugo doesn't care about that stuff. I doubt he's thought about it since. He's just not like that."

Ashido closed her eyes and shook her head. "Well duh," She rested her forehead on her fingertips, "This gossip is about Uraraka, dummy. She's all freaked out about it and she thinks Bakugo is too. Obviously, she feels super awkward about it and clearly, Bakugo isn't going to care. You and I both know that, but she doesn't. So pretty much, Uraraka feels cornered right now."

Kirishima was having a hard time following. How do girls so easily interpret stuff and then bend it to their own opinions? "Nevermind. Thanks anyway, Ashido." He waved her off and shuffled back over to Kaminari and Sero.

"You owe me!" She called over her shoulder as she went her separate way.

…

Uraraka had been trying to take a nap for an hour now but could not seem to calm her mind enough. This thing with Bakugo was weighing her down substantially. Maybe she should just confront him and get it dealt with. Better now than never, right? He's still held to their bargain from yesterday, so she could force him to talk. Yes, it seemed like a good idea.

She crawled out of her bunk and slipped her shoes back on. When she stepped out of the cabin, she found that it was already mid-afternoon. Days off sure go by quick. She gathered up what pride she had and marched across the camp. She'll be damned if she doesn't take care of this now.

She stormed into the clearing to find Bakugo lounging in the shade, his wrist covering his eyes. When he heard her approach, he looked up sharply. Once he saw who his visitor was, he inwardly groaned and dumped his head back in the grass and recovered his eyes. "What do you want, round-face?"

She balled her fists, "To talk."

He hissed through his clenched teeth, "No way."

"Yes way," She retorted, tucking her chin up proudly. "Don't go back on our agreement now, Bakugo."

Her audacity never failed to grate his nerves. "What the fuck is there to talk about?" He didn't budge from his position but felt her footsteps coming closer to him. When she plopped down in the grass a few feet away from him, he finally peered out from behind his wrist.

She crossed her arms and her face was twisted with serious attitude, "You know what."

He rolled his eyes, but it was guarded from her view. "For fuck's sake, just forget about it. It's not hard."

She blinked, surprised she didn't have to fight him on the topic. "I thought you would say that, but-"

"No." Bakugo cut her off, "There are no but's." He finally sat up, his expression was completely unamused. "You fuckin' tripped me and that's the end of it."

She opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't find the words to do so.

Bakugo let silence hang over them for a few more seconds before he laid back again, "Can't I just be left alone for one damn day?"

It was now Uraraka's turn to be unamused, "You are such a piece of work."

The blonde scoffed at her half-hearted insult. "I've heard worse."

She squeezed her balled fists, frustrated that this wasn't going anywhere. "You are impossible." She snapped before getting back to her feet, "I don't even know why I came out here if you're going to be so… impossible!"

Bakugo removed the wrist from his eyes once more to stare up at her, "What the fuck do you want?"

"To be your friend," Uraraka emphasized. "Just for one stupid day but you can't even manage that."

"Whatever," Bakugo uttered and listened as she stormed away. ' _I'm the piece of work? Ha! Try dealing with you.'_

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Lol this chapter took all day to write and I feel like it's missing something... Anyway, the next few chapter should be much easier to write so stay tuned, my friends!_

 _I know this update is a few hours late again, but I was spending so much time trying to fix this chapter to fit how I wanted that I sort of got ahead of myself._

 _Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	15. Last Day of Camp Part 3

It was an awkward evening for Uraraka. She had experienced a plethora of emotions that day and it was wearing her down. She was hurt, angry, sad, and disappointed all wrapped up into one roller coaster in her mind. When dinner finally rolled around, her friends could see that she was distracted.

"Hey Uraraka," Midoriya started, "Are you alright?"

Both he and Iida were slightly worried while they watched Uraraka pick at her food, a sour look on her face.

She looked up at her green-haired friend and tried to perk up, "Yeah I'm okay. I'm just sad that we're going home tomorrow, you know?"

Both Midoriya and Iida nodded a little at her response but they weren't sold on it. Iida decided to speak for the both of them, "Well we're here if you need us."

"For sure!" Midoriya tried to be uplifting

Uraraka broke out a weak smile but before she had time to respond, a commotion began on the other side of the mess hall.

"If you're lookin' to die today, I can make that happen!" Bakugo roared and rose up from the table. His wooden chair thudded on the ground behind him and everyone turned their attention to the boys' table.

Kirishima was holding his hands up defensively, a smile playing on his lips. "Did I hit a nerve?" The redhead pressed the blonde harder.

"Shut the hell up, Kirishima!" Bakugo growled, his hands clenching and unclenching with undisputed rage.

Kirishima rolled his eyes a little and leaned back in his chair with crossed arms, "Hey, I was only telling you the truth."

Bakugo clenched his jaw hard, "I don't need your advice, dipshit!"

Kirishima waved him off with a teasing smile, "Sure you don't."

"You better sleep with one eye open tonight, fuck-face," Bakugo warned maliciously before raging out of the mess hall, vowing to blow something up once he was outside.

Everyone else inside had watched the situation unfold and Bakugo's consequential exit. Everyone began muttering to themselves, speculating about Bakugo's anger. It wasn't unusual for him to explode on Kirishima and leave, but normally the blonde only appeared mildly annoyed when these things happened. This time however, he had seemed to be legitimately upset, so everyone was quick to wonder what had transpired in the moments before.

Iida and Midoriya had noticed Uraraka's unease during the debacle between Bakugo and Kirishima. Obviously, something had struck a nerve with her as the blonde shouted at his friend and both wondered what she was hiding.

When Bakugo finally exited the mess hall, Uraraka turned back to her two friends with clouded eyes. Iida could no longer hold his tongue, "What's going on, Uraraka?"

As if his question had broken her from a trance, she finally looked back to him. "It's nothing, really."

Iida gave Midoriya a sideways glance before Midoriya spoke up, "Uraraka, we're your friends. You can always talk to us."

She bit her lips softly and considered their offer, "It's stupid..."

Midoriya leaned over the table with a pleading look, "Just tell us. Maybe we can help!"

Uraraka didn't take the time to weigh the pros and cons of sharing her problem. Maybe they could help her with it. "I've just been having a hard time with Bakugo."

Midoriya nodded gently and urged her to continue, "Did he do something?"

She shook her head, "Nothing that isn't normal. But I did make a deal with him and it backfired pretty bad."

"A deal?" Iida asked, "What kind of deal?"

Uraraka looked back down at her food regretfully, "Basically, he and I bet on whoever would perform best in the rescue training from yesterday. If he won, I'd leave him alone and if I won, then he had to be my friend today." She picked at her rice some more, "I won, so I pretty much forced him to hang out with me."

"So how did it backfire?" Midoriya asked, his eyebrows pressed with concern. He had a feeling that he might know where this was going.

She shrugged with her response, "It was going just fine up until we started sparring. He's not so good at talking, so I suggested it. I thought I was doing really well, but then it just got… weird."

Both boys were silent in hopes that she would elaborate on her choice of words.

She met their confused gazes before sighing and continuing, "He knocked me down, so I kicked him in the legs and knocked him down too."

"And that's weird?" Iida wondered with freshly crossed arms. Clearly, he was struggling to follow what she was laying out for them.

"No," Uraraka responded, "It was weird when he fell on top of me."

Her two friends blinked at her with blank expressions. Midoriya was trying to work out her main point, "So he just fell on you and that was it?"

She groaned frustratedly, "Yeah, I know it doesn't sound bad but it was super awkward! After that, I just ran away and that made things a thousand times worse."

Midoriya twisted his mouth in thought and pondered her problem, "Did he say anything to you?"

She frowned, "I went to talk to him about it and he just blew me off, as usual. I guess I really was just wasting my time trying to make him into my friend." Her tone was deflated and she appeared genuinely bummed out by the situation.

Iida and Midoriya digested her words for a few moments, but eventually Midoriya decided to speak up. "Kacchan is not an easy guy to get along with. He's rude, harsh, and can be an all around jerk-"

"Not to mention prideful." Iida cut in.

"Yes, he is," Midoriya took back control of their conversation. "But he's got a good streak in him, too."

"I know that," Uraraka sputtered, "He just never uses it! It's so annoying. Why is he so hard to get along with? It's like he intentionally makes everything difficult."

Midoriya shrugged at her, "If you really want to be his friend, then you can't let him push you around anymore. He'll respect that and Kacchan only makes friends with people he respects. Kacchan only shows his real side when he's super mad."

Uraraka smiled half-heartedly at the all-for-one user. She wished she had brought this to him sooner than now. If there was anyone that could help her understand Bakugo, it was Midoriya and his advice was already helping her. "You're right," She replied with a new burst of hope. "Thank you, Deku! What would I do without you guys?"

Both boys laughed at her compliment and thanked her before they moved on from the subject and finished their dinner.

…

Their final day of camp was coming to a close and the sun was drifting downward, reflecting orange and red rays off the lake and coloring the camp in a warm hue. A certain brunette had just given herself the pep talk of a lifetime and was on the hunt for a grouchy teenage boy. ' _Don't let him walk all over you, Ochaco! Give him a piece of your mind!'_

After stomping around the camp for the better part of an hour, she saw him emerging from the bath house with his redheaded pal, Kirishima. She had heard their banter first and she began marching up to the both of them.

"Hey!" Uraraka touted as she came up to them, "We gotta talk!" She pointed an accusing finger at Bakugo.

"The day is over," Bakugo snarled and gestured to the lowering sun, "The bet's off."

She fumed and stuck out her bottom lip a little bit, "The bet is off when I say it is. Right now, I say it's still good. Now get off your high horse so we can talk." She was proud of herself now. A burst of courage coursed through her.

Bakugo frowned irritably, "Or what?!" He barked in reply.

"You don't want to know." She warned, her tone low and daring. "Now shut up and listen."

Bakugo was miffed by her newfound tenacity. The spunk that had been missing from her since this morning was now refreshed and back in full swing. He observed her as she planted her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed at him.

"I don't like to use foul language but," She tucked her chin higher into the air, "You've been an ass all day and you were supposed to be nice to me."

Kirishima glanced between the blonde and the brunette awkwardly, "Should I leave?"

"Shut it," Both Uraraka and Bakugo snapped at him, their angry eyes never leaving each other.

Kirishima clamped his mouth shut and tried to look anywhere else in an effort to give them some space but the air was suddenly rife with the aura of strong personalities.

"Not only were you a jerk about hanging out with me in the first place, but you were an even bigger jerk when I tried to talk to you about it!"

Bakugo tensed his shoulders and spat back proudly, "There was nothing to fuckin' talk about! You're the one who made it so damn weird! I have nothing to apologize for."

"That's rich coming from you," Uraraka folded her arms, "You didn't hold up your end of the deal and you don't want to be accountable for it."

Bakugo sneered at her, his eyes blazing with fury, "You think I'm full of it? You ran away and then came crawling back wanting to talk about it like we're some damn soft-ass girls. I'm not one of your stupid friends and I don't fuckin' 'talk' about shit. I'll say it one more damn time, so you'd better listen; I don't want to be your friend, so piss off!"

Uraraka felt the sting of his words, but forced herself to keep her momentum, "Well, I don't care what you want because I'm done letting you push me around. I'm not letting this go!"

Bakugo felt a surge of anger wash over him and he made a threatening step toward his brown-haired adversary. He held up an open palm at her, daring her to continue her lecture. "Fuck off unless you want to die."

She didn't even blink at his threat, still standing proudly with her chin up and her arms crossed. Her eyes burned with determination. It felt like the whole camp was holding it's breath while they glared at each other, daring the other to look away.

"Okay…" Kirishima interjected carefully, "I think you guys can safely call this one a draw."

Both Uraraka and Bakugo's eyes snapped over to the uneasy redhead. Their displeasure was now centered on him as he tried to dispel the animosity. "Why don't you guys take a beat and talk it out again later?" He looked back and forth between them, "Possibly once you're calmer?"

Uraraka sniffed at the pair of boys and turned on her heel to march away. She didn't look back as she warned the blonde, "Heed my words, Bakugo. I'm going to win this one."

He almost shouted a snide response, but Kirishima grabbed his shoulder to silence him, "Dude, just let it go for now."

He hadn't felt this fired up in a long time and Kirishima just wanted him to let it go? "Let me the fuck go!" Bakugo leaned away from Kirishima, gruffly moving the hand off his shoulder. "Who the fuck does she think she is? That stupid-"

"Alright," Kirishima interjected on the would-be rant, "I think that's enough for tonight. We all leave in the morning, so we should probably go and pack, right?"

Bakugo glared at his friend but listened to his reasoning. Before Kirishima had another chance to speak, Bakugo was already marching away, a scowl on his face and bitterly barking insults back at him.

Kirishima watched as Uraraka disappeared from their sight and briefly wondered what had changed within her. Earlier that day she had seemed downtrodden and distracted, but it was like a switch had flipped and she now had her confidence back. It took some guts to call out Bakugo on just about anything, so he admired her renewed tenacity. Maybe this would work out for her. God knew that Bakugo was in serious need of a more sensitive friend.

…

' _I can't believe that worked!'_ Uraraka beamed to herself once she was out of the eyesight of Bakugo and Kirishima. After such an annoying day, who would have thought that all it took to deal with Bakugo was a little bit of courage and a hell of a pep talk?

"How'd it go?" Midoriya was perched on tree stump outside her cabin, worry written on his face.

Uraraka pumped her fist victoriously, "I think it worked! He got all mad but he actually told me what he thought. You were right Deku, it takes a whole lot of anger to get Bakugo to tell you how he really feels."

Midoriya chuckled at his friends cheerfulness, "Glad I could help."

She punched the air excitedly, adrenaline still pumping through her, "He even admitted that today was weird for him too! Of course, he gave me an earful about not wanting to be my friend, but that can always change."

Midoriya smiled softly, "I still don't understand why you picked to be friends with Kacchan of all people. Wouldn't it be easier to be friends with someone else?"

Uraraka giggled at his observation, "Silly Deku, it's not like that. It's about the challenge. A pro hero needs to be able to handle tough situations right?" She continued when she saw Midoriya nod in agreement, "That also includes difficult people. I don't know of anybody else more difficult than Bakugo, so I think it'll be fun to make him my friend. Besides, there isn't a greater challenge than trying to tame a lion."

Midoriya could help but laugh at her analogy, "That's a great way of putting it. Just keep in mind that Bakugo will go to great lengths to avoid you now."

Uraraka shrugged proudly and landed her excited hands on her hips, "You just wait and see, Deku. When the new school year starts, I'm going to be even stronger and I'm going to need a lot of strength to take that guy on."

Midoriya nodded in agreement, but he couldn't bottle his concern. While he admired Uraraka's courage and her drive to succeed, he couldn't help feeling like she was fighting a losing battle. He had known Bakugo since they were kids, and the guy has never changed. He was always quick to anger and even quicker to put down his opponents. Bakugo's bark wasn't any fiercer than his bite, they were equally fierce and both easily bring down anybody who threatens his status.

Bakugo was a guy who didn't fight for the sake of fighting, but instead fights for his own honor and pride. His only redeeming factor was his desire to be the top contender, but that came with the downside of stepping on whoever he needed to in order to get there. If someone isn't going to aid his ultimate goal? He throws them aside with little to no regard for their feelings. Midoriya was worried that Bakugo would eventually see Uraraka as one of those people and inevitably hurt her with his cruel resolve.

"I just want you to know that I still think this is a bad idea," Midoriya commented. "Kacchan is strong and determined. He wants to be number one, so he isn't going to want any distractions."

Uraraka dusted off his comment, "I know that. If he wants to get stronger, then we already have something in common. I'll help him get strong and he can help me."

Midoriya was mildly hurt by her reply. He'd always thought that he and Uraraka would get stronger together but lately, she had shown little interest in training with him. It was dawning on him now that she might be looking to train with someone new and that stung. "It's your decision, but I just wanted to warn you."

She beamed at him, "Thanks Deku! You are such an amazing friend, you know?"

Those words stung him even more.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Hello guys! Sorry I didn't get an update out to you yesterday. I probably should have told you guys in my last update that Fridays are the only day that I'm too busy to write. So for future reference, I will not be able to post updates on Fridays._

 _Anyway, I hope this chapter clears up some stuff for you all. The next chapter will be the final one at the camp and then after that, things will really begin to pick up. I hope you are all still enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I really love hearing from all of you, so I'm getting quite excited for the chapters to come. Thank you for all your support!_

 _I'll see you guys soon!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	16. Surprise Visitors

It's been almost a month since Uraraka and her classmates had left UA High's summer camp and she was starting to feel a little stir crazy. In her younger years, she paid no mind to being cooped up in the house with her parents on a hot summer day, but now their proximity was sweltering. She missed her friends a lot and found herself texting them all the time to tell them how much she looked forward to seeing them in the next few days.

She was leaving in the morning to stay with Yaoyorozu in the city until the school year started. It would be month of her being able to spend time with friends, train, and relax. Most importantly, she'd have a little independance.

Her parents aren't overbearing per say, but they do dote on her often. She couldn't blame them for it, it was just who they were. They knew she was putting a tremendous amount of pressure on herself, so they tried to be endearing to compensate. However, Uraraka found it more of a bother as she matured.

"Ochaco?" Uraraka's mother called from down the hall. "Have you finished packing yet?" The woman appeared, her appearance was a stark resemblance to her daughter. When she entered the living space, she found Uraraka floating upside down over the couch with headphones in and playing a game on her phone. The girl's brown hair spilled off the top of her head and her face looked determined as she attempted another try at her game.

Her mother rolled her eyes, "Ochaco!" She called a little louder.

Uraraka was broken from her concentration and she looked at her mother from her upside down state. Pulling the earphones from her ears, she finally replied. "What's up, mom?"

"Have you finished packing?" The older woman crossed her arms with a quirked eyebrow.

Uraraka groaned, "Almost. I'm just waiting for my last load of laundry to dry so I can pack it." She went to tuck her earphone back in her ear.

"Not so fast," Uraraka's mother cut in once again, "I could really use some help in the kitchen if you're not busy."

Uraraka blinked at her mother for a moment before gracefully flipping herself over and landing on the couch. She tucked her phone and headphones in the pockets of her shorts before following the older woman down the hall.

When they entered the kitchen, Uraraka immediately set to helping her mother prepare the fish and rice for dinner. Cooking with her mother was a staple in her family and one that she enjoyed. They worked in silence but enjoyed each other's company.

When the front door of the house opened, they were just finishing the meal preparation. Uraraka's father entered the kitchen to greet them, his face and pants a little dusty. He looked tired as he went to give his daughter a sideways hug. "Hello, my sweet Ochaco. How was your day?"

Uraraka smiled up at her father as she was hugged. "It was good. I'm nearly finished packing for tomorrow."

He father squeezed her tighter, "I'm so sad you're going to leave us. We miss having you around, you know?"

She reached her arm around her father's waist and hugged him back, "I'm going to miss you too."

Her mother cut in a few moments later, commanding her husband to go wash up for dinner. While he was gone, mother and daughter set the table and waited on the final member of the family to join them.

A knock on their door surprised them both and Uraraka's mother rose to answer it.

"Hello, Mrs. Uraraka." A man's voice floated down the hallway.

Uraraka peered around the corner to observe who was at the door, "Mr. Aizawa?" She asked when she saw the two men at the door dressed in suits. "And All-Might?" She walked around the corner and came up beside her mother, "What are you doing here?"

All-Might smiled at her softly, his severely downsized form was a shock for her to see in person. After they had left summer camp, the Villain Alliance had reared it's ugly head once again. Unfortunately for All-Might, his entire battle with All-for-One had been televised and his true form was publicized. Two days later, the top hero had announced his retirement and commitment to being a teacher at UA High. He noticed Uraraka's shock at his new appearance, "We're here to talk about your studies at UA."

"May we come in?" Aizawa asked curtly, obviously uncomfortable in his suit.

Uraraka's mother was as surprised as her daughter, "O-of course, please come sit. We just finished preparing dinner. Have you eaten?" She chauffeured them through the door and down the hall.

"We have not," All-Might's nose perked up at the smell inside the tiny home.

"What's going on?" Uraraka's father appeared at that moment, observing the two men in his house.

"Mr. Uraraka," Aizawa bowed, "We are two of your daughter's teachers at UA High. We are doing our annual home visit. We hope we are not intruding."

Uraraka's father broke out a toothy grin, "Of course you aren't! If you have the time, we would be happy if you would stay for dinner." He gestured to the table set for three. "Ochaco, would you please go get some plates for our guests?"

Uraraka nodded slowly before retreating to the kitchen to retrieve plates and wares for her teachers. When she returned a few moments later, everyone was already seated and talking

"So is our Ochaco doing well in her studies at UA?" Her father placed a napkin on his lap.

Aizawa nodded at her father, "She is an excellent student. She excels in every part of her studies. Her greatest improvements have been in her combat training."

"That's wonderful," Uraraka's father smiled softly, "It is always a pleasure to hear of Ochaco's success."

All-Might now cut in, "We actually are here to talk to you about more than Uraraka's studies, sir."

Uraraka settled in at the table and helped her mother begin serving the food.

"How do you mean?" Her father replied, a confused note in his tone.

The top hero thanked Uraraka as she loaded a fish on his plate and offered him some rice, "As I'm sure you are all aware, the Villain Alliance movement has been gaining momentum."

"And it is in UA's best interest to insure the safety of our students," Aizawa added and held her father's gaze. "In an attempt to not only protect our students from any other harm, we believe we have come up with the best case scenario solution for this."

Uraraka's mother glanced at her husband warily as he carefully replied, "What are you proposing?"

All-Might bowed his head respectfully, "We would like to begin boarding students, beginning this year."

"Boarding students?" Uraraka's father was surprised at their guests. "Would this cost us money?"

Uraraka resisted the urge to slap her own forehead in shame. Of course he father was more concerned about the cost for the parents.

"No sir," All-Might sat up in his seat once again, "As a gesture of good faith, UA will be footing the cost of the students' board. We understand completely that there are many concerned parents and we would be honored if you would trust us with your child for another year."

Uraraka's father looked over at his wife, gauging her response to their proposition. He nodded slowly at her before turning his attention back to the two men at his table, "We have no doubts about the sincerity of your offer and we harbor no bad feelings toward your school. We understand that you are doing what you feel you must, although we may disagree with it. That being said, we cannot infringe on what Ochaco thinks is best. It is her future, so the decision is ultimately hers."

The entire table now looked at the young brunette. Her eyes were wide at her father's recognition. "I don't know what to say…"

Her mother touched her shoulder gently and smiled. "What would you like to do, Ochaco?"

She took a moment to look into her mother's eyes. She could easily tell that her mother hoped that she would turn down the offer in hopes of finding a safer and more reliable career track. However, Uraraka simply couldn't give up on her goals so easily. She's worked so hard to get here, so letting it go was completely out of the question. "I would like to go." She broke from her mother's eyes and settled her own on her two teachers.

All-Might grinned and Aizawa nodded approvingly before he spoke, "We are exceptionally lucky to have you join us for another year, Uraraka." He turned back to her parents, "We will guarantee that we will protect your daughter and give her the highest standard of academic and hero education."

Uraraka's father nodded, accepting his daughter's decision without argument, "I'm glad to hear it. Now, shall we eat?"

…

Uraraka hugged her mother tightly as the train pulled in to the station. "I love you guys." She leaned over to her father to do the same.

Her father squeezed her tightly, smiling softly at her. "Now you know the conditions, right?"

"Of course I do," She smiled up at him as she was released, "I promise to come visit you again before the school year starts."

Her father grabbed her in another tight hug as the train came to a halt before them. "Have a wonderful time with your friends and work hard, Ochaco."

"I will," She pulled herself away. "I'd better go or I'm going to miss the train." She pulled the handle on her suitcase.

"Travel safe!" Her mother called after her as she boarded the train car, waving frantically at her daughter.

She settled into a window seat to wave back, mouthing a promise to them that she loved them. When the train began to depart, she couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving them. She knew it was going to be undoubtedly difficult on them to work all day and come home to a house without their daughter each day. So as she watched the station disappear behind her, she promised herself that she would work even harder on their behalf. They were already making sacrifices to support her dreams, but this seemed almost too much to ask of them.

As she left her hometown behind, she had some time to kill. She busied herself with texting her friends and listening to music. Her mind raced with all the training she'd be able to get done in the city and how much stronger she felt like she needed to get in order to pass the provisional license exam. Everything was beginning to happen so fast.

The one hour bullet train ride was over and done in the blink of an eye. She exited the train and was immediately greeted by the calls of a certain black-haired beauty. "Uraraka! Over here!"

She whipped her head to the left to see Yaoyorozu waving with Ashido. The two girls grinned as the brunette approached them, squeezing her from both sides once she'd reached them. "We're so happy to see you!" Ashido squealed and drew back. "We've all missed you so much!"

Uraraka smiled happily at the pair of girls, "I've missed all of you too! I would have come into the city to visit, but my parents kept me super busy!"

"Well we're glad you're with us now," Yaoyorozu beamed. "Let's get out of here, huh?"

Uraraka nodded cheerfully, grateful to see two classmates and friends after so long, "Thank you so much for letting me stay with you, Yaoyorozu. You will certainly have to let me make it up to you."

Yaoyorozu waved the offer away, "Please! Don't worry about it. My parents work all day long, so I always have the house to myself. It gets so boring around there, so I'm glad to have you."

Uraraka smiled sweetly as they began exiting the station, "How is everyone doing?"

"So good," Ashido replied, "We've all been training super hard!"

Uraraka felt like a stone had been dropped in her gut, "Oh man, I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do."

"You haven't been training?" Yaoyorozu was surprised by Uraraka's comment.

The brunette waved her hands at them, "No, I have but it's only been quirk extension training. There aren't a lot of a good sparring partners back home. I'm able to lift a lot more and I can hold myself up for a while now, but what I really need is combat training."

Ashido pumped a fist excitedly, "Is that right? Just wait until you see the set up that Yaoyorozu has at home. You'll make up for it in no time!"

Out on the street now, Yaoyorozu guided them to a sleek black car and opened the door for her two friends. Uraraka went to go place her things in the trunk, but was surprised when the gentleman driving politely offered to do it for her. "T-thank you," She stuttered, shocked at the chauffeur's professionalism. Is this how Yaoyorozu lived?

The back seat of the car was roomy and posh. Fine leather seats and elaborate embellishments were a sincere shock to Uraraka. How is she supposed to behave around such luxury? She tucked her hands under her thighs and her mouth was tight lipped.

"Relax Uraraka," Yaoyorozu smiled at the brunette, "This is going to be fun, right?"

Uraraka didn't move her hands, but she did smile, "That's right."

Ashido tapped her chin for a moment and glanced between the two other girls, "So you guys are also planning to board at UA, huh?"

Uraraka blinked as the question hung in the air for a moment. She'd nearly forgotten about it. "Yeah, of course. The commute for me every day wasn't easy, so this it makes a lot of sense for me to stay at the school."

Yaoyorozu sighed, "Yeah I am too. It's going to be so much easier to not be under my parents' microscope all the time."

Ashido giggled at their replies, "It's going to be so much fun! Like having roommates, you know? We can also have sleepovers whenever we want!"

Uraraka felt uplifted by Ashido's enthusiasm. She hadn't really considered the brighter side of staying at the school. It would be perfect for her to progress and get even stronger, plus she could hang out with her friends all the time. "I think you're right. It's going to be blast!"

The girls all began making elaborate plans for the school year and they wondered what the dorm would be like. Where was UA even going to put them? It was a little over a month before the school year was going to begin, so what were they planning to do with such little time?

The car ride was full of their idle chatter until Uraraka's phone chimed with a text.

 _Did you make it into the city ok?_

Uraraka smiled to herself and she felt happy to see Midoriya's name pop up. She quickly typed out a reply.

 _Yeah of course! I'm with Yaoyorozu and Ashido right now. I'm just glad to see people from school again!_

When she clicked send, she noticed Ashido peeking over her shoulder. She quickly locked her phone, but it was already too late.

"So how is Midoriya?" Ashido teased lightly but it went right over the brunette's head.

"You'd probably know better than I do. I haven't seen him in a month." Uraraka replied, suddenly missing her green-haired friend immensely.

Both Ashido and Yaoyorozu shrugged before Yaoyorozu spoke up, "Actually, we don't really see him that much. He's always busy training by himself."

Uraraka seemed surprised, "Oh, I didn't know that." She couldn't hide the twinge of disappointment in her inflection.

Ashido poked her on the shoulder happily, "But now that you're in town, I bet we'll see him all the time."

"Huh?" Uraraka asked dumbly as the car came to a halt.

Before Ashido could continue, Yaoyorozu opened the door to the car, "We're here!"

Uraraka finally allowed her eyes to focus on what was outside the car's windows. A massive and beautiful house was before her eyes. A garden with numerous water features circled around the house and eventually disappeared behind tall hedges. When she exited the car, she was intimidated by the sheer size of the estate. "Wow, Yaoyorozu. Your house is beautiful!"

It seemed almost like a fairy tail as they went through the front door. A grand staircase was centered in the room with elaborate railings and covered in a plush carpet. The ceilings were high and vaulted, making the entire room feel like a royal castle.

"Thank you," Yaoyorozu replied, "Shall I show you to your room?"

"Yes please!" Uraraka allowed Yaoyorozu's easy demeanor to brush off her unease.

The girls made their way up the stairs while the house's help handled Uraraka's luggage. Uraraka felt absolutely blessed to have such amazing classmates and friends that would invite her to stay with them in the city. After today, the hard work would really begin.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Gahhh... Sorry about the lateness again, guys. My dad paid me a surprise visit today, so I had to entertain him all day and it made ate into my writing time majorly. I didn't even take the time to edit this chapter because I felt so bad that I hadn't gotten an update to you. It's just been one of those weekends..._

 _Despite that, I managed to pump out this filler chapter. I know I said that I'd write this chapter as their last day of camp, but I was dying to move on from that. So, I did and I'm glad for it. This is a filler chapter to sort of set the stage for the rest of the fic, so I don't know if you guys are going to be super hyped about this update. Nonetheless, I had to do it. Tomorrow will be far more entertaining._

 _Thanks for reading, guys! I'll have an update out sometime tomorrow._

 _~NumberSixteen_


	17. Three Little Menaces

Bakugo's summer had not gone the way he had hoped it would and it was damn irritating. So far, all he had to show for his training efforts was some extension of his quirk, but he was struggling to get in any combat training in. Kirishima was always busy, claiming he was trying to pick up girls and his parents were always trying to get him out of the house and off his gaming consoles. In an attempt to do so, they would annoy him to no end until he couldn't take it anymore and would eventually leave.

He'd taken to hanging out in a nearby park to pass the time. It was a large and wooded park, a great place for him to train and have the privacy he wanted. For the most part, the entire place was unpopulated with the exception of some primary school kids that came by every so often to bother him. It wasn't very long before they had picked up on Bakugo's famously short fuse and had begun messing with him nearly every day. They were a nuisance that whittled away at his patience and sometimes brought him to the brink of his sanity.

He laid back in the grass with his hands tucked behind his sweaty hair. He scowled through the tree tops at the blue sky and tried to ignore the giggles of the school boys hiding on the top of the hill to his right. They had been lurking for an hour or so, thinking that they were sneaking up on him undetected. Unbeknownst to them, Bakugo had noticed them the moment they turned up and had continued to train in ignorance of their antics.

Their excited whispers and suppressed giggles were grating on Bakugo's nerves and he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block them out. If he could just think of something less annoying, then he could certainly tune them out.

 _Thump!_

Bakugo's eyes snapped open as the pebble hit the ground near his right arm. ' _They're back to doing this shit again?!'_ The blonde growled warningly, allowing the school boys to know that he was aware of them.

A stifled giggled followed after the pebble's throw along with a whisper, "Shh!"

Bakugo grit his teeth in annoyance and begrudgingly shut his eyes once more, willing the children to go play elsewhere. There is a playground on the other end of the park, why don't they go find someone to bother over there?

A whooshing sound whizzed through the air and Bakugo opened his right eye in time to catch the second pebble before it landed on his chest. He clenched an irritated fist around the rock before he finally sat up and cranked his head toward the poorly disguised boys. "Don't you little shits have someone else to annoy?!"

Three sets of wide eyes peered through a bush a few yards away. They froze, unsure if Bakugo could see them or not.

"I can see you brats!" Bakugo snapped at them once more. "Quit hiding like a bunch of pansies!"

The three boys slowly circled around to the front of the bush. Two looked at their shoes and the third simply grinned like the idiot child he was. Bakugo was beginning to learn that this kid was their ring leader.

Bakugo gripped the pebble until his knuckles turned white, "This shit isn't funny anymore! Get lost, or else!"

"Or else what?" The grinning kid spat back, flipping his tousled orange hair.

"Tatsuo, we should just go," One boy with black hair urged his orange-haired friend.

"Then go, Hitoshi! I'm not scared of this guy."

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at the pompous orange haired devil-child in front of him. Were all children this obnoxious? "If you know what's good for you, you'd better hightail it out of here, brats."

"I can take you on, easy!" The boy that Bakugo assumed was named Tatsuo held up his tiny fists and grinned.

"Is that right?" Bakugo snarled back and rose to his feet, "I'm going to kick your ass, kid."

The teenager and the boy stared each other down while the two other boys looked on with terrified expressions. The tension in the air built as Bakugo waited for the obnoxious child to make a move.

"Tatsuo?" A woman's voice echoed from atop the hill, "It's time for lunch! Where are you boys?"

Al three boys suddenly looked scared and glanced at each other before turning to leave. As they retreated, Tatsuo turned back to the irritable blonde, "This isn't over, ugly!" His stuck out his tongue childishly and ran off after his friends.

Bakugo grimaced at the children as they disappeared over the hill. ' _That little shit is going to get it!'_

Once he was alone again, he felt like his plans to continue training through lunch were soiled and he was finding it hard to argue with a hungry stomach. He began to exit the park, albiet angrily, and hoped to find something fast to chow down. Bakugo had eaten at the park's only food cart nearly every day all summer and he was sick of eating hot noodles in the baking sun, so he decided to try the town. He tucked his hands in the pockets of his baggy sweats and left the park behind him.

...

The market was busy in the early afternoon. Merchants were selling knick knacks in covered stalls and vendors were offering a variety of foods. People bustled through the narrow streets, bargaining for goods and standing in line for lunch. Bakugo chose a simple bento box stand and joined the line, hoping it would move quickly so he could leave the dense area. He neared the front and ordered, begrudgingly paying the cheerful woman working and turning away to wait for his food.

"Bakugo!" A happy voice called from behind him.

He turned sharply to see the person he least expected.

"How are you?" Uraraka bubbled and smiled. "Funny that we'd run into each other here, right?"

He took a step back and found himself completely unprepared for this kind of situation, "What do you want, round-face?"

She didn't break her smile and used her thumb to point behind her, "I just got into town yesterday, so Yaoyorozu invited a few of us to go shopping today. It's great seeing everyone!"

He glanced over her shoulder to see the black haired girl, acid freak, frog face, and -ugh- _Deku_ all browsing a merchant stall. They pointed at a few items, not noticing that Uraraka had run off. "I don't give a shit. What do you want?"

She shrugged and pulled on a strand of her hair, "I saw you, so I thought I'd come say hello."

His order number was called and he ignored her to retrieve his lunch. "I have training to do." He went to leave but was stopped when she grabbed the back of his black v-neck.

"You're going to train?" She asked dumbly.

Incredulously, Bakugo replied with a short, "Yes, now fuck off." He pulled himself from her grip and began walking again.

"Hang on!" She called once again, grinding on his final nerve. She followed after him, "I need a training partner super bad, so maybe I can come with?"

He tried hard to ignore her as he pushed through the crowded street, praying that she would lose interest.

"Please, Bakugo!" She whined with a slightly higher pitch. "It would help me out a lot!"

He stopped to face her, "Why the fuck would I help you?"

She paused and curled her arms in a bit, "Because I need to get stronger, so I want to train with someone strong." She figured giving him a compliment might help her case. The way to Bakugo's heart was certainly his ego.

He dropped his eyelids a bit and looked completely unamused, "I don't have time to babysit your ass."

Uraraka ignored the people bumping shoulders with her and tried hard not to pout, but she couldn't hide her bottom lip from puffing up a bit, "It would be the least you could do to make up for being such a jerk to me at camp."

With that annoying statement, Bakugo felt his last nerve slipping away, "Are you fuckin' kidding me? I don't owe you shit."

She touted her hands on her hips and bucked up, "That is such a lie."

"I don't lie," Bakugo felt a furious rant coming on, but was interrupted by Uraraka's companions.

"There you are!" Ashido called happily and ran up to the brunette. As she swung an arm around Uraraka's shoulders, she noticed the tenacious blonde. "Oh, hey Bakugo! Long time, no see!"

He bristled at her friendliness, working up one of his textbook insults. Just as he opened his mouth, Yaoyorozu, Asui, and Deku joined them.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya smiled at the blonde.

"Fuck off, Deku." Bakugo warned in a low tone.

Midoriya shrunk back a little while Yaoyorozu took the lead on the conversation, "Are you ready to move on, Uraraka?"

Bakugo figured this was his best chance to leave but as he turned, he heard that annoying brunette pipe up.

"Actually," She started with a tone of mixed optimism and sorrow, "I think I'm going to go train with Bakugo for a little while. I really do need to catch up on my training, you know?"

Bakugo froze at her audacity. Did she just invite herself?

Yaoyorozu and Midoriya glanced between the blonde and the brunette cautiously, "Are you sure?" Midoriya asked slowly.

"Of course!" Uraraka beamed at her friends. "I'll call you when I'm all done, okay?"

Uraraka's four friends reluctantly released her and she took off after Bakugo. The four remaining students passed concerned looks among each other for a few moments as they watched Uraraka disappear into the crowd.

"This is weird." Ashido finally offered up.

Midoriya nodded slowly, "I think she just really wants to get stronger, so she probably thinks training with Bakugo is her best bet."

Yaoyorozu frowned, "I don't know what she thinks she could gain from training with a homicidal maniac."

"Kacchan isn't always like that," Midoriya replied. "Uraraka is just determined, so I'm sure it'll work out for her."

Everyone warily accepted and they all hoped that Midoriya was right in his assumptions. They'd hate to see Uraraka let Bakugo's senseless insults get the best of her.

...

Bakugo was racing through the crowd now, pleading with himself to escape her sight. He'd be damned if this stupid girl thought she'd get her way so easily.

"Wait up!" She called from a distance behind him, but he coldly ignored her.

She pushed through the crowds, trying to chase Bakugo down but she found it much more difficult to stay on his trail than she thought. He was much taller and more intimidating, so people naturally avoided his path, but she was being swarmed with everyone and their dog. She certainly felt like a salmon swimming upstream.

Finally, she broke the crowd and looked around wildly but didn't see a single spiky blonde head. ' _How could he have disappeared so fast?'_ She wandered down the street, assuming his direction of travel and didn't see a trace of him. ' _Well isn't this just my rotten luck? I lost him!'_

She found herself on the edge of a playground with a few children swinging on it's bars and playing in the grass. She sighed and plopped down on a park bench. She wondered if it would be worth texting Bakugo about his whereabouts, but she already knew he'd ignore it. She rolled her head back glumly. ' _This sucks. I really need a good combat partner to train against.'_

"Aito! Hitoshi!" A child with loud orange hair called to two other boys, "I just saw that stupid explody-face loser walking that way." The child pointed across the park, "Let's go mess with him." A cocky smirk graced the child's features and Uraraka's attention was caught by it.

The smallest of the three boys shuffled his hands in front of his shirt, "Do we have to, Tatsuo? That guy is scary."

Tatsuo laughed aloud with a cocky demeanor, "I'm not afraid of some stupid high schooler! I can definitely beat him up with my quirk!"

Both of the other two boys looked uneasy, but followed as Tatsuo egged them on and led them toward the trees. Uraraka had heard the entire exchange and watched the boys march away with a flicker of amusement in her eyes. If they were talking about the person she thought they were, then she was sure to be in for a treat.

She stood up from the bench and followed the boys as they raced through the trees, the orange haired boy hyping himself and his two friends up. She paused for a moment, wondering briefly if it appeared strange to follow three young kids, but she couldn't rest her curiosity so she continued anyway.

Eventually, the boys veered to the left and began snooping through the trees and bushes, shushing themselves as they went. When Uraraka noticed this, she mirrored their movements to their right side. They clumsily made their way down a hill and into a grassy clearing between the trees and she crouched along the tree line, invisible to the blonde sulking in the grass.

Bakugo was raging as he practiced a variety of combat moves. He twisted himself around, performing well practiced martial arts and withholding the use of his quirk. His meal sat untouched in the grass behind him. When he heard the boys return, he immediately called them out. "Show yourselves, you little shits! I know you're there!"

Uraraka winced at his foul language. Surely even Bakugo knew not to curse at children?

The three boys ducked out of the bushes. Aito and Hitoshi hung back, but Tatsuo took bold steps toward Bakugo, a smug smirk plastered on his youthful face. "What'chu gonna do about it, you big dummy?!"

Bakugo seethed and marched within a few feet of the boy with a clenched fist, "Do you really wanna find out, tough guy?" Bakugo's eyes were lit with a furious fire. Why wasn't this kid afraid of him? Every kid fears guys like him!

The other two boys cowered at Bakugo's advances and retreated to hide in the treeline once again. Tatsuo, the overly zealous one, held his ground and maintained his smirk. "Your stupid explosion quirk is no match for mine!"

A few small sparks ignited in Bakugo's palm, "I don't fight little kids, so get lost you shit. I don't want to send you crying to your mommy."

Tatsuo didn't flinch at Bakugo's threat, but instead held up an open palm like Bakugo. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Tatsuo!" The small boy with the black hair pleaded with his friend from the bushes, "This is a really bad idea!"

Tatsuo scoffed at the younger boy, "I saw this guy during the sports festival and his quirk sucks! I can totally beat this guy!"

Bakugo sparked his palms again and clenched his jaw, "Just remember that you asked for it, you little snot!" He released an incredibly small scale explosion to scare the boy, but was surprised when it came back on himself. It didn't do much more than stagger him back a step or two, but he was even more shocked to see that the small kid was completely untouched.

The kid pumped his fist and grinned devilishly, "My quirk is called mirror. I can mirror back any attack, so your quirk is useless on me!"

Uraraka had been worried for the majority of the confrontation, but seeing Bakugo's confused face made her audibly snort with laughter.

Bakugo whipped his head to his left the moment a small squeak of giggles met his ears, distracting himself from the orange haired menace. "The fuck...? Who's there?!"

Uraraka knew she'd been discovered and stood from her hiding spot. She covered her mouth to hide her laughing cheeks and waved harmlessly.

Bakugo had never been more ticked in his entire life. His eyes burned holes through her as she stupidly waved and hid her chuckles. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

She was giggling too hard to respond, but she managed to point hilariously at the children.

His eyes glowered at her before he turned his gaze back on the boys, "You little pricks! If my quirk doesn't work on you, then maybe I'll just kick your ass without it!"

The boy cackled dryly with daring eyes.

"Or," Bakugo snarled, "I'll just go find your mother."

All three boys were suddenly afraid. Tatsuo tried to play it off with a smirk, but backed off. "Fine. I'll get you again next time, you big fart!" He ran off with his friends, laughing and insulting Bakugo's appearance until they were out of sight.

The blonde was completely unhinged with frustration and he finally turned his attention back to the snorting brunette. "What the fuck?!"

She walked down the rest of the hill to join him on the grass, "Oh man, Bakugo. That was hilarious!"

"Did you tell them to come here?" Bakugo ignited his palms once again and he tried to give the impression he'd kill her without a second of thought.

She shook her head, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "I heard them talking about you, so I thought they knew where you were. Turns out, I was right."

Bakugo regretted letting those boys off so easy. He should have whooped their asses for giving away his training spot to this stupid girl. "Why the fuck won't you just leave me alone?!"

His harsh tone sobered her up and she took a defensive pose, "I already told you, Bakugo. I need a combat partner and you're the best there is."

Bakugo didn't blink before charging her, "Fine then! Have it your way, but you better be ready to die!" He was already regretting his decision to agree to her offer, but he really needed to blow off some steam.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Ahh... It feels good to be able to finally go back to my normal writing routine. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter because I really enjoyed writing it!_

 _As I'm sure you can tell, I sort of fast-tracked my story to this. I figured you have already read sixteen chapters, so I needed to speed things up some more for you guys. I guess you could call this the beginning of a new arch for Uraraka and Bakugo. I'm excited for what's to come!_

 _Thanks for reading! You guys are the best!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	18. Training in the Park

Uraraka knelt in the grass, her wrist covering her panting mouth as she watched Bakugo gear up for another attack. They'd been training for well over an hour and Bakugo was not holding his punches. Sweat covered both of them and they glinted in the afternoon sun.

"Giving up already?!" Bakugo sneered at her while she rested.

Uraraka planted herself in the grass and held up a finger, "I just need a few minutes to catch my breath."

"How out of shape are you?!" Bakugo barked and dropped his fists, running a hand through his sweaty blonde spikes.

"More than I thought," Uraraka replied, regretting her lack of training so far.

Bakugo finally wandered over to his uneaten lunch, his stomach had been complaining since they started training. He cracked open the bento box and allowed the aroma of the food to meet his nostrils before digging in.

Uraraka was still taking a breather when the smell drifted over to her and she was suddenly aware of how hungry she was. She sniffed the air delightfully and rested her eyes on his late lunch. She blinked at him for a moment before she started scooting toward him on her butt.

"Don't even think about it," Bakugo warned, clearly aware of what she was doing.

Her face fell into disappointment, "Could I just have a little bit?"

"Go get your own!" Bakugo snapped at her, hugging the box a bit closer to his chest.

Uraraka flopped her back down in the grass and sighed defeatedly. It seemed pointless to go buy a meal when she could just eat when she got back to Yaoyorozu's place. She had a limited amount of money that she had been given from parents and she didn't want to waste it on things she could get for free later.

Bakugo watched her as she lay back in the grass, a clearly disappointed look on her face. He was finding it hard to enjoy his food with her sulking. Finally, he looked down at his nearly finished bento box and growled. His appetite was now gone, so he slid the box across the grass and silently offered her the rest.

Uraraka turned her head to see the box now beside her. Sitting up, she peeked inside to see a few bites remaining. "Thank you," She smiled at him and nibbled on the rice.

He ignored her and settled into the grass, tucking his hands behind his head. The afternoon sun peered through the tree tops and he closed his eyes to enjoy it's warmth.

"So, how has your summer been?" Uraraka asked between mouthfuls.

Bakugo's top lip twitched irritably, "Shut up."

She gazed at his relaxed pose and didn't allow his harsh tone to get to her, "Mine's been pretty boring so far. There's not much to do in my hometown, you know?"

He clenched his jaw, "I really don't care."

Uraraka dropped her eyelids a bit, "You are the worst listener."

Bakugo's mouth wanted to smirk, but he forced a frown, "I don't give a shit about your summer, round-face."

Uraraka polished off the rest of the bento box and set it aside with a groan, "When will you stop with the nicknames?"

Bakugo opened his eyes into slits and gave her a dead look, "When I feel like it."

Uraraka sighed happily as the food settled in her stomach, "Maybe I should give you a rude nickname so we can be even."

The blonde was irked by her suggestion, "Fuckin' try it and see what happens."

"What was it that the kid called you?" Uraraka tapped her chin teasingly and looked up, "A big fart, right?" She could hide her giggle anymore as she dropped her gaze back to the ill-tempered blonde.

Bakugo grimaced and grit his teeth, "Lookin' to get your ass kicked again, fuckstick?"

"I think it suits you," Uraraka teased again, smiling giddily to herself. "Bakugo, the big fart."

Bakugo pounded a fist on the grass and sat up to glare daggers at her, "I'll fuckin' kill you."

Uraraka laughed aloud, covering her mouth with a quivering hand, "Alright, I get it. I won't call you a big fart."

Bakugo broke his angry gaze from her and settled them back on the trees surrounding them, "Those little brats are going to pay the next time I see them."

Uraraka leaned back on her palms, "Do they bother you like this a lot?"

"Every fuckin' day now," Bakugo spat, pulling out strands of grass with angry fists.

' _Am I actually having a real conversation with Bakugo?'_ Uraraka mused to herself and felt proud of her efforts. Maybe she could finally get somewhere with him. "I like kids," She started, "But I can see why you don't feel the same way."

"Of course you like kids," Bakugo sneered, still glaring through the trees.

Uraraka wasn't sure if that was insult or a statement of fact, "They make the world seem like it's not such a bad place. They smile all the time and just want to have fun."

"Tch," Bakugo spat through his clenched teeth. ' _Sounds like someone I wish I didn't know…'_

"But some do have annoying habits," Uraraka chuckled as she recalled the rambunctious orange-haired boy. "That was some quirk that kid had, huh?"

Bakugo's thoughts raced back to the boy reflecting his blast and a surge of annoyance coursed through him, "Fuck that little shit."

Uraraka couldn't help but chuckle again, "I wish you could have seen your face after he reflected your attack back to you. It's one of the few times you didn't look mad. You just looked… surprised."

Bakugo was already sick of hearing her talk, but now she was just making him angry. "You're no better than those little shits, round-face."

She was getting used to his insults now, so she had known that was coming, "Geez, Bakugo. Why don't you tell me how you really feel?"

Finally, he averted his eyes from the trees to glare at her once more. This was the first time he was realizing that she had really grown a pair. She looked laid back, almost comfortable, and it was beginning to rub him the wrong way, "Are you just going to sit there all day? I thought you said that you wanted to train."

Uraraka brushed him off and stood up. She wiped her hands on her shorts and beckoned him to stand with her, "You're right, I do need to train. Let's go again, yeah?"

Bakugo sharply rose to his feet and tucked his hands in his sweat pockets, "This is a one-time thing, fuckstick. Don't come back again. I've got better things to do than fuck around with you."

Uraraka grinned with hands happily place on her hips, "We'll see about that, you big fart."

Bakugo felt a surge of annoyance travel up his spine and to his face. Was she trying to get herself killed? "You're going to regret that." He spat the words out and removed his hands from his pockets as he stalked up to her.

As he approached, Uraraka readied herself for his attack. He stopped within a few feet of her, his teeth gleaming through his pursed lips. He was daring her to make the first move, so she took him up on the offer.

First, she pounced forward with her hands close to her chest. As she came within a few inches, she jabbed her right hand toward his face. He didn't flinch, but he sharply jolted his head to dodge.

He decided not to counter attack, but to play a completely defensive game. He easily predicted her second attack and nonchalantly slapped her closed fist away before she could land a punch to his gut. Following this, he took a fast step back and to her left to observe what her next move would be.

She quickly pivoted on her left foot to face him again and lunged once more. She knew he was playing with her, so she wanted to step up her game. This time, she skid her foot between his legs and threw her shoulder toward his chest, hoping her foot would catch and force him to the ground. As a distraction, she balled up her right had to give the impression she planned to punch him.

' _She's not quite an amatuer, but she's easy to read.'_ Bakugo withheld a smirk and waited for the right moment. Just as she raised her fist, he pivoted his left foot to completely remove himself from her attack. Just as he had predicted, she was already jutting out her shoulder with hopes to hit him in the chest. Her fist hung loosely in the air, so he took the opportunity to snatch her wrist before he used his unmoved left foot to trip her and throw her face-down in the grass.

Her reaction time wasn't slow, but it wasn't fast either. As soon as she felt herself falling, she caught herself with her hands and kicked her legs up. She twisted her torso so her legs could face him and tried to land a kick at his knees. Hopefully, this would give her time to get back on her feet.

Bakugo smirked at her lame attempt and in the blink of an eye, he was facing her legs. Just before they met their mark, he bent his knees sharply and took the hit without a problem. When her shins connected with his knee, he quickly wrapped one hand around her left ankle and quickly rose to his normal height. He heard her gasp in surprise as he carelessly tossed her away from him, sending her tumbling through the grass once more.

She rolled a few feet before she ended up on her back with her arms stretched out on either side. She took a beat to catch her breath and stare at the sky. ' _He's making me look like a fool!'_

Bakugo turned his smirk into a frown as he walked up beside her, "That was some weak shit, round-face."

She blinked and turned her eyes to look up at him. He stared down at her with his dark red ones, his hair shading his face from the sun. She felt frustrated and toyed with. Normally, her spars with Bakugo were full of competition and passion, but this time he had shown her an entirely new level of his abilities. He easily predicted her moves and he didn't appear to be in his usual angry frenzy. He seemed calm, almost serene.

"Help me up?" She asked kindly, offering her hand to him.

He eyed her open palm and scoffed, "Help yourself."

She stretched her arm up to him more, "Just do it, Bakugo."

He rolled his eyes at her pathetic plea and turned away. However, he didn't get very far because she had snatched his hand and yanked as hard as she could. He was sincerely caught off guard as she pulled him down. He staggered for a moment, trying to catch his balance but was ultimately brought into the grass beside her.

Uraraka grinned as he collapsed and she rolled over, sitting up as she went. So far, she was successfully pulling off the same move she'd used on Aizawa during their rescue training at camp. Although this time, she didn't need to throw dirt in her opponent's face.

Bakugo fell on his left side, crushing his arm under his own weight. Immediately, he threw out a right hand in hopes to use it to bounce back up and kicked his legs to give himself momentum. He was surprised once more when Uraraka was leaning over him and grabbing his right wrist. He felt her knee dig into his back while she twisted his right arm around and managed to completely incapacitate it at the small of his back.

She laughed at her triumph for pinning the unsuspecting blonde, but it didn't last long. He growled with a horribly low tone and she didn't notice his right palm heating up until it was too late.

His blast wasn't large, but enough to throw her off of him. He rolled over on his back and leapt to his feet. He wasn't mad before, but now he was fuming. He stalked over to Uraraka, who was crouching in the grass. His explosion had momentarily disoriented her and she frowned at her at her slightly sizzling clothes.

As he hauntingly marched up to her, she looked up to glare at him, "This was my favorite shirt!" She displayed the frayed ends at the bottom of her shirt and the subsequently light scorch marks on her belly.

"I don't care!" Bakugo barked and grabbed her shirt on the right shoulder and yanked her up, his fist shaking maniacally. He ignored her widening eyes as he gruffly pulled her to her feet and brought her face close to his. His red eyes were filled with a rage she hadn't seen in him since the sports festival. "That was a cheap trick, round-face."

She froze up for a moment as his eyes transfixed on her fearful ones, "I'm sorry, Bakugo. I didn't mean-"

Just as she thought his eyes couldn't be more infuriated, they were. "Shut the hell up!" He snapped, his mouth twisting into a sinister frown.

She looked away, breaking their gaze, and stared at the ground to her right. "Please let me go."

His hot breath rolled over her face as he panted angrily. He glared at her for a few more moments, disappointed that she wasn't staring back with her normal defiance. He grunted but felt the rage in his chest beginning to die. He couldn't pin what her expression said. She didn't look afraid of him nor did she look angry. She was thin lipped and her brows were furrowed as she continued to look away. Her hair was brushed by a soft summer breeze, giving his nose a taste of her coconut perfume.

She stayed frozen in his grasp while he glared at her, but eventually found the strength to place a hand on the fist balled up in her shirt. His skin was hot and sweaty on her fingertips as she rested them on his knuckles. "Bakugo… Please let me go."

His eyes finally broke from her face and rested on her cool fingertips as they brushed the skin of his hand. As if he had finally realized their proximity, he released his grasp and took a step back.

She immediately crossed her arms across her chest and sighed, "I'm sorry if I upset you."

Bakugo sneered and turned his back to her, "Shut the hell up, you have nothing to be sorry for."

She blinked and finally let her eyes grace his tensed back. His hands were balled at his sides and his head was tilted down. Things felt unbearably awkward. "I…" She tried to find something to say.

Bakugo finally turned back to her, his eyes back to their normal fire, "You've got a lot of shit to catch up on. Six A.M tomorrow, don't be late." He spat the words out with a forceful tone and trudged away.

Uraraka stared after him with a confused expression. What had gotten into him? ' _Is he agreeing to train with me?'_

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Hehehe... I love writing their sparring sessions. Uraraka really one-upped Bakugo on that one, huh? I'd say she's getting better at it. :)_

 _I hope you enjoyed reading and please review! I love getting feedback from you guys._

 _As usual, I will have an update out to you guys tomorrow and thank you so much for reading!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


	19. You're late, Round-face

Uraraka was feeling unbearably awkward and nervous as she almost tiptoed through the gates of the park. A summer sunrise was just beginning, painting the sky a soft purple color. She'd gotten here earlier than he had instructed with a hope it would help calm her nerves. As she made her way over to where they trained yesterday, she wondered if Bakugo was serious about helping her train. ' _Would he even show up?'_

As she came over the top of the hill and looked down, she saw Bakugo had beaten her there. He had his back to her as he crouched and stretched his legs. She blinked in surprise and checked the time on her phone.

5:50 AM

She breathed a sigh of relief at the time. ' _Well at least I'm not late!'_

She hurried down the hill and came up behind him, forcing a smile on her face to cover her nerves.

"You're late, shit-for-brains." Bakugo unmistakenly grumbled.

Uraraka was baffled, "W-what? I am not!"

Bakugo stood up from his stretches and turned around. "Six AM means you should have been here at 5:45 to warm up. Now I have to wait on your ass."

She dropped her satchel in the grass and placed hands on her hips. "Well you should have told me that."

Bakugo's scowl didn't ease up whatsoever, "You should already know that."

Uraraka bit back a retort, realizing she wasn't going to win this one. "Whatever, I'm here now." She pulled her hair back and began securing it with a ponytail. "What do we start on first?"

Bakugo smirked and pulled a timer from the pocket of his sweats, waving it around tauntingly. "You're going to run laps until I say to stop."

Uraraka tightened her ponytail a bit too roughly as she heard this. "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I joke around?" Bakugo's smirk fell into a firm line. "Your cardio sucks ass, so you're going to run."

Uraraka groaned audibly and rolled her neck. "Are you going to run too?"

"Hell no." Bakugo replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "I already did my laps today."

Uraraka blinked at him, "What time did you get up?"

"None of your fuckin' business."

Uraraka huffed in exasperation and began stretching her legs. She was already regretting her decision to train with him. Anybody else would have certainly gone a little easier on her. But did she want easy and fun or hard and successful?

Bakugo had marched to the top of the hill and was waiting for her on the sidewalk. When she finally finished warming up and met him, he pointed to his left. "You'll run that way. This sidewalk wraps all the way around the park. Five laps is a mile, so you'd better get to stepping."

Uraraka was really regretting her decision now as she lined up on the sidewalk. This was going to suck so bad.

"Go." Bakugo clicked the timer as she took off running. He mildly wondered if he should advise her to pace herself, but ultimately held off. He didn't do shit like that.

The morning dragged on for Uraraka. She was sweating profusely as she rounded around the final corner of her nineth lap. Her easy jog that she was maintaining at the beginning had slowly come down to to a desperate attempt to keep her feet going. Her arms tiredly swayed at her sides and she also willed them to keep it up.

Everytime she came up to the starting point, she felt a disgruntled remark bubbling in her chest. The entire time she had been running, Bakugo had been laying on his back in the grass uselessly.

He heard her jog up again, her pace slowing as she came closer. He knew she was drained, but he figured she could go one more lap. He checked the timer as she passed behind him. "17:28, roundface. Pick it up!"

She rolled her eyes as she trudged past him, "When can I stop?" Her voice sounded whiny.

"When I fuckin' tell you that you can." Bakugo spat back. He considered making her run two more laps now.

Uraraka clenched her teeth and pushed forward, begging her limbs to continue.

Bakugo glanced to his right to see her rounding the corner. Her ponytail was falling out and she'd long since ditched the tracksuit jacket. Her mouth hung open as it fought for breath. ' _Damn, her cardio really does suck.'_

He lay his head back in the grass again and listened for her later return. The sunrise was soothing to watch and it had become a habit for Bakugo to enjoy it. It was one of the very few simple pleasures he had. He felt himself relax and tried not to distract himself with the timer's blinking red light.

As he watched the purple clouds regain some of their whiteness, he wondered why his annoyingly bubbly classmate was so intent on training with him. Was she obsessed with him or something? No, she didn't really strike him as the obsessive type. It had to be because Deku was unavailable.

He let the thought string through his mind for a while longer before he heard her footsteps in the distance. As she neared, he could hear her panting hard to breath and it sounded like she was dragging herself through the mud. He groaned inwardly as he sat up and waited for her to make it to the finish line.

"18:54 is your final time." Bakugo almost spat the words as she collapsed in the grass.

Uraraka didn't even bother to wipe the sweat from her forhead as she felt her muscles ache with exhaustion. "I am so glad that's over."

"That's a shit time." Bakugo snarled pointedly.

Uraraka muffled an exasperated groan, "I'm just glad I actually did it."

He was taken aback by her remark, "That's fuckin' weak."

"Don't care right now," Uraraka lazily waved a hand as she began to regain her breath.

The blonde ignored her comeback and stood up. "If you thought that sucked, then you'd better leave now."

"Whaa?" Urarka lifted her head as he began walking down the hill. "Where are you going?"

"Hurry the hell up and get down here." Bakugo barked in response.

She groaned and wanted to whine about needing another minute. Her muscles screamed in defiance as she stood up and trudged down the hill. ' _Why do I have the feeling that this will only get worse?'_

…

When Uraraka asked Bakugo to train with her, she had expected more fun stuff. This was _not_ fun at all. This was torture. She could not recall a day in her life that had felt this long. Her legs throbbed, her arms screamed, and her abdomin felt like it had been ripped in half. If she though UA's workouts were hard, she was sorely wrong.

The day had turned into the early afternoon as she struggled through more sit-ups. Bakugo was leaned up against a tree as he played a game on his phone. She eyed him for a moment before she lowered herself to relax in the grass for a few moments.

"I didn't say you could stop." Bakugo snapped without looking away from his phone.

Uraraka huffed and pulled herself up to her knees again before finally asking, "Why aren't you doing anything?"

All Bakugo had done all day was lounge around and criticize her. He had hardly lifted a finger to train himself.

He broke his gaze away from his phone to glare at her, "It's my off day."

She pouted, unsure if she should argue with him. She begrudgingly continued her sit-ups and ingored the sweat that was now drenching her hair.

"You can stop now." Bakugo grumbled as he watched her dramatically struggle.

"Thank goodness," She breathed and relaxed for the few seconds he would likely give her before demanding she perform another exercise.

He stood up, ignoring her as he adjusted his shirt. He stretched his back before heading toward the hill leading to the sidewalk.

Uraraka struggled to sit upright, baffled at his sudden departure. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back in an hour." He barked, refusing to give her any more explaination than that.

She blinked in confusion as he left. Was she supposed to keep working out? Was she missing something? His blonde hair disappeared over the top of the hill as she wondered. If he wasn't going to be here, she might as well take a break right?

She haphazardly crawled over to her satchel and pulled out a lunch she had made for herself. In the shade of the trees, she broke it open and began wolfing it down. It wasn't a particularly lady-like fashion, but nobody was around to observe. She smeared some of the water from her water bottle on her forhead and let the breeze cool her down as she munched away.

She pondered her day so far and grimaced at what came to her mind. It was brutal. Her limbs that were raging a few minutes ago were now going numb. As tired as she was, she couldn't deny that she felt great. She felt _strong._

Bakugo was not a particularly inspiring coach. He had offered her zero encouragement or words of affirmation. All he had done was order her around like a dog and yell at her when she complained. He gave the impression that he couldn't care less, but still pushed her past her limits. Maybe it was because he didn't care that he asked the impossible of her. ' _I mean… who could really do 200 sit-ups? All-Might probably...'_

She dropped her empty lunch container back on the grass and tried to stretch her battered muscles. They whined at her as she did so. ' _I'm not going to be able to walk at all tomorrow…'_

After her limbs were stretched as much as she could tolerate, she checked the time. She still had fifteen minutes until her unenthusiastic coach returned, so she opted to work out the one muscle that he hadn't forced her to beat into submission. Her quirk.

She breathed for a moment before popping herself into the air. As she rose a few feet off the ground, she found that the breeze was cooler from higher up. The wind tickled the hair that stuck out from her ponytail, drying the sweat to a crust. A hot bath was certainly going to be a necessity once she returned to Yaoyorozu's.

As she floated with criss-crossed legs, she observed a blob of orange peeking through the trees. She almost laughed at the sight. ' _Little Tatsuo has decided he wants some payback, eh?'_

She watched as the little boy and his two friends stumbled through the trees noisily and came out into the clearing. Tatsuo planted his tiny hands on his hips and grunted angrily, "He was just here a little while ago!"

One of the other boys, this one with black hair, looked relieved. "I guess he left."

Uraraka smiled at their childish exchange.

Tatsuo brushed off the younger boy's observation. "No way he left. That guy is always here." He glanced around the clearing and spotted the floating girl. "You!"

Uraraka raised her eyebrows at the children.

"You were spying on that freak yesterday too!" Tatsuo pointed an accusing finger at her.

She was taken aback by his proclamation. "I wasn't spying on him!"

Tatsuo grinned menacingly, "Liar, liar, pants on fire. You were spying!"

Uraraka rolled around in the air to hang upside down, "Bakugo is my classmate. We were training."

The little boy scoffed at her reply, "Duh, I know you're his classmate. I watch the sports festival every year."

Uraraka stifled a giggle at the kid. "Do you want to go to UA when you grow up?"

Tatsuo was stunned by her question. "What's it to ya, space-freak?!"

That was a new one for her. "I also wanted to go to UA when I was kid."

"I don't care." The boy shot back and turned to his friends, "Let's just go. I don't want to be around a spying space-freak like her."

Uraraka was still amused as they turned to leave. As they disappeared over the top of the hill she rolled back around to sit up-right.

"Spying space-freak." A voice came from behind her.

She cranked herself around to see Bakugo leaning against a tree a few yards behind her. "Whaa- When did you get back?"

Bakugo was smirking but didn't reply. "At least you got rid of those annoying brats."

"They're just kids, you know," Uraraka released herself and fell to the ground. Her legs struggled to catch her small fall.

"I don't give a shit, space-freak." Bakugo used the nickname again and Uraraka tossed him an unimpressed look.

"At least space-freak is better than big fart."

Bakugo felt his blood begin to boil. "Will you fuckin' quit that shit?" He could barely tolerate that childish nickname that Deku called him, but he wasn't about to add another one to the list.

Uraraka shrugged playfully, "I kind of like it. It suits you."

"Fine then. You can go run another two miles."

Uraraka's face fell at the threat. "Whatever, you win… Bakugo." The name rolled off her tongue begrudgingly.

The blonde immediately felt the satisfaction when she conceded. He wins yet again.

"What's the plan now?" Uraraka asked dumbly.

Bakugo pointed back toward the top of the hill, "I just fuckin' told you. Get going, space-freak."

Uraraka groaned and sat down in the grass, "No way. My legs are going to fall off if I do that again. I also just ate, so I'm not going to risk throwing it up. My quirk does that for me enough as it is."

Bakugo scoffed at her, "That's a fuckin' excuse and you know it."

She stretched her arms for the hundredth time that day, "So are we going to spar or what?"

"If you wanted me to kick your ass again, you should have asked sooner."

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Hello everyone. I know it's been a while, but I'm back now. I apologize for completely ghosting you guys. Back in March when I last posted, my boyfriend of four years got into a terrible car accident coming home from work. Sadly, he passed away and these last few months have been especially difficult for me. Writing was the last thing on my to-do list._

 _Since then, I have made a lot of changes to my life. I'm taking some time off of school and I've moved to a new state and a new city, a much bigger one than my hometown. I needed some change in order to move on. It's been a few months now and I think I'm starting to finally get to that point._

 _I thought it was about time for me to try my hand at writing again, so here I am. However, I will not be posting nearly as often as I once did. Maybe once or twice a week. I'm still in the middle of my move, but I just got everything into my new place. I'll be busy the next few days while I search for a job, so I'm not sure when you'll hear from me next. However I am sure it will certainly be within a week._

 _Thank you all for reading and I appreciate your patience with me. I hope you can understand why it took me so long to come back. Please continue to be patient with me as I try to get back into a normal routine. I just wanted to show that I hadn't forgotten about you all and that I still love this story._

 _Thank you again._

 _~NumberSixteen_


	20. Sleepover

Bakugo didn't normally train with girls, especially girls like round-face. He preferred to fight someone like Kirishima, who would never hold any punches against him and could take them too. Most girls didn't really feel the same way about sparring. However, the more time he spent exchanging blows with this brown-haired gravity user, he realized she was an exception.

She wasn't a particularly natural fighter. In order to learn, she need to be kicked around a bit. So, he did just that. He knocked her down a few times over before she'd be able to land a good hit on him. Every so often, she'd surprise him with a move he hadn't anticipated. Perhaps she was getting used to this.

He knew her body was worn out from everything he'd had her do earlier that day, but he didn't go easy on her for it. He easily blocked kick after kick and punch after punch and was almost amused at her frustrated huffs. As they continued along, her attacks grew weaker and more desperate.

"Come on, round-face," He chided her as he caught her fist. "Admit defeat already."

"Never," She pouted and tried to tackle him. Her attempt was unsuccessful as he easily caught her by the shoulders and pushed her back.

"You're not getting anywhere." Bakugo spat back as she took a moment to catch her breath.

She frowned, "Maybe not, but I'm still trying."

"Trying is a far cry from winning, dipshit." He narrowed his eyes at her. "It's probably time you get lost anyway."

Uraraka almost looked relieved as she planted her butt on the grass. "Fine…"

Bakugo observed her flushed face for a moment as she looked down at her tired hands. The ponytail she'd tied up this morning was almost completely undone now, leaving clumps of hair to hang loosely around her head and in front of her face. He'd given her a complete work-over and hoped it would be enough to scare her off.

"I'd say it was a good day," She suddenly remarked, but she would never admit is was also a living hell for her.

Maybe he hadn't worked her hard enough. Bakugo wanted to tell her to fuck off, but instead decided to simply ignore her.

"What time tomorrow?" She asked, a tired smile spread over her face as she looked up at him.

Bakugo blinked at her but didn't remove his scowl, "What the fuck time do you think?"

Uraraka wanted to roll her eyes at him so bad but decided that it was not worth the ensuing beratement. "Yeah, okay. I guess I'll see you at six."

"Whatever," The blonde spat and grabbed his sweatshirt that had been hanging on a tree branch nearby. "Don't be late, round-face." He turned his back to her and began walking up the hill, not bothering to look back.

' _I am definitely going to regret this…'_ Uraraka stretched her sore muscles as she watched him depart.

…

Yaoyorozu heard the door open from her perch on her bed and watched as Uraraka stumbled into the bedroom. She collapsed face-first on the sofa in the corner and groaned loudly into the cushions.

"So…" Yaoyorozu dropped her phone into her lap. "How was it?"

Another loud groan came from the brunette.

"That bad?"

Uraraka struggled to sit upright and finally pulled the ponytail from her hair. "It wasn't bad… It just… Well, it sucked." She struggled to find the right words for her day.

Yaoyorozu gave the girl a quick up-down and chuckled at her appearance, "Yeah, well it looks like it sucked. Just remember, you did ask for it."

"I don't think I'm going to be able to walk in the morning, let alone do any kind of training." Uraraka wanted to kick herself for not working harder while she was at home with her parents but her tired legs probably couldn't even do that.

Yaoyorozu shifted in her spot on the bed to cross her legs under her, "You could always just train with me and Ashido here, you know."

"I appreciate it, Yaomomo," Uraraka started, "But I deserve this. You're all so far ahead of me now, so I need someone to kick my butt every day or I will never catch up to you guys."

Yaoyorozu was amused now, "So you picked the most difficult person in the world to train with? That doesn't make sense to me."

Uraraka laughed out loud with her friend, "Seriously, right? Bakugo is not only macho enough to contend against all of us together, but he is crazy strong!"

"You realize I'm not going to let you get away with not telling me about everything he did and said, right? What's he like outside of school?" Yaoyorozu finally blurted out what was heaviest in her mind.

Uraraka's face lit up with a smile, "Well there are these three little kids that pick on him every day."

"You cannot be serious." Yaoyorozu was completely taken by her words, "Tell me."

"Well-" Uraraka began but was interrupted when something pink and loud burst open the door.

"Yaomomo, do you want cheese on your sandwich?" Ashido started loudly.

Both girls in the bedroom paused to look at Ashido.

The pink girl glanced between them, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "Oh, hey Uraraka! What were you guys talking about?"

"Shh!" Yaoyorozu hushed her, "Hurry and sit down! Uraraka was just telling me about Bakugo."

"Oooo!" Ashido smiled giddily and hurried across the large bedroom to settle on the bed with Yaoyorozu. Just as she sat down, her expression changed. "Wait… Should we wait until everyone else gets here? That way we have something _juicy_ to talk about?"

Yaoyorozu's face fell, her anticipation leaving. "You're right… We probably should."

"Wait for who?" Uraraka asked.

Ashido planted her hands on her hips, "Why else would I be here this late, silly? We're having a sleepover with all the girls from our class!"

…

Uraraka's aching muscles were finally feeling better once she got into the steaming sauna. Her damp hair stuck to her face as she listened to the other five girls talking. She tuned in just as Jiro began talking about how her training was going.

"Yeah, Kaminari gets distracted so easily," The earphone jacks on her ears spun around nervously. "If even a butterfly flies by, he's chasing it."

Asui tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I suppose you can't blame him. Kaminari has always had an appreciation for the simplest things in life."

Jiro rolled her eyes, "No, you don't understand. He is always looking for something else to do. He's always wanting to go into the shopping district or to get food or to see a movie. It never ends. I just don't think he realizes how much we need to train."

Uraraka caught Ashido giving Jiro a sly look, "Maybe he just likes you."

The suggestion hung in the air for a moment while all the girls considered it.

Yaoyorozu was the first to respond to it, nodding her head, "I could see that."

Jiro's face flushed red as she shook her head wildly, "N-no way! It's definitely not like that."

"Pffft!" Ashido waved her hand dismissively, "I beg to differ. Kaminari may be a total dolt sometimes, but he's twice the dolt around you!"

"Stop it guys!" Jiro tried to hide her blush, "There is no way that is the case. Kaminari and I are just friends!"

"Mmhmm," Ashido nodded knowingly, "If you say so."

Yaoyorozu patted the pink girl briskly, "Enough Mina, give her a break."

Ashido bit her lip and pondered for a moment, "Alright then… Although, speaking of love…" She turned her attention to Uraraka.

Uraraka suddenly felt a lump in her throat as all eyes turned to her. "What?" She asked quietly.

"What's up with you and Midoriya?" Ashido asked boldly.

Uraraka felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment, "Nothing!"

Asui cut Ashido off before she could continue, "Maybe we shouldn't bother her about it."

"Come on," Ashido's tone pleaded, "This is a girls' sleepover right? We talk about boys and gossip. That's how it goes!"

"It's fine," Uraraka smiled through her blush, letting the steam take the blame for it. "Deku and I are just friends."

Ashido leaned forward on the sauna bench, "But he totally likes you!"

This time, the steam could not hide her blush, "N-no he doesn't!"

"It's obvious, right?" Ashido turned to the other girls for affirmation.

"It kinda is…" A voice came from the corner of the sauna. The voice came from Hagakure but without being able to see her whatsoever, nearly all the girls had forgotten she was even there.

"Thank you," Ashido nodded and turned her attention back from Hagakure, "Now that we've established how he feels, the real question is this... Do you like him too?"

"Ahh…" Uraraka fought for words as she struggled to answer. She glanced around to see that everyone was looking at her. Asui seemed to be the only one that didn't look like she wanted to pry. "I mean... Well, I don't know…"

Yaoyorozu sensed Uraraka's hesitation and spoke up, "Well it doesn't really matter right now, right? You're focused on training and I'm sure you have your hands full with Bakugo."

"That's right, I almost forgot!" Ashido blinked, "You never told us about how that's going!"

Uraraka laughed nervously, "It's going okay, I guess. It's super hard though!"

"Why would you train with Bakugo when you could train with literally anybody else?" Jiro asked suddenly. "Wasn't it super hard to work with him at camp?"

Uraraka nodded, silently thanking Yaoyorozu for giving her a new topic. "It was, but I didn't get much done after camp, so I wanted to train with someone who would be super hard on me!" She pumped her fists, attempting to give off an aura of toughness.

"Well if you wanted it to be hard, then you definitely picked the right person," Hagakure piped up again and shuddered, although nobody else could see it. "Training with Bakugo must be absolutely miserable. I'd never willingly put myself through that. All that shouting and cursing alone would send me running for the hills."

Uraraka shrugged, "It's not all bad, I suppose. He is working me really hard, but I am having a little fun at least. Hopefully it will pay off when it comes time for the provisional exam. I would be so embarrassed if I was the only one who doesn't pass!"

"Tell us about these little kids…" Yaoyorozu probed, unable to curb her curiosity any longer.

Uraraka stifled a giggle, "Alright, but you can't say anything about it to anyone else. I'm sure you all know as well as I do that Bakugo would kill me if this ever got out. God forbid, if Kirishima ever found out."

Ashido beamed, "Whatever is said at this sleepover stays at this sleepover. So hurry up and spill the beans, girl!"

…

Bakugo was camped out in front of his tv, playing any old first person shooter. Even at video games, he demanded his best performance. He handled the controller purposefully and continued to stretch his kill spree to the maximum.

Mitsuki poked her head into his bedroom after a brisk knock. "I didn't hear you come in. Where have you been all day long?"

Bakugo was immediately irritated but didn't pull his eyes from the screen, "None of your business, hag."

She narrowed her eyes at him and observed his appearance, "Well you obviously weren't training, so where did you go?"

Bakugo fought for his cool. He'd had enough of other people today and the last thing he wanted to deal with was a nosy mother, "I said I was nowhere!"

Mitsuki wasn't fazed by her brazen son and simply invited herself into his room, leaving the door open. As she sat down beside him, she watched the screen as he smashed the buttons. "What can't you tell your loving mother?"

Bakugo scoffed at her high pitched tone. He knew her better and she wouldn't fool him. "The same old thing, you dusty crone. Anything to get away from you all day."

Before he could blink, she smacked the back of his head. Her motherly smile never left her face as she did so. "You are such an angel child." The mockery in her voice was unavoidable.

Bakugo hissed frustratedly as his character was shot and killed. "You fuckin' distracted me on a 10 kill streak!"

She shrugged unapologetically, "Well now that you're not busy, I suppose I should tell you that you have visitors."

Bakugo blinked dumbly for a moment. Visitors? He has never had anybody over in his life. Who the fuck could it be? The better question was who the fuck actually figured out where he lived? He could already feel the anger bubbling in his gut. "The fuck..?" He stood up and barged out of the room, leaving his mother to smirk behind him.

As he trudged down the stairs of his house, he found himself bursting with irritation. "Whoever the hell you are, get lost! People aren't allowed to come to my house unannounced!"

Just as he came to the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner, he was faced with two people he did not expect to see.

"Hello Bakugo," Aizawa was standing just inside the door beside a deflated All-Might.

Bakugo was rarely caught so slack-jawed and All-Might relished in the few seconds it took him to regain his composure before them.

"What do you guys want?" The question was blunt and unashamed, but Bakugo could not tear his eyes away from All-Mights gaunt new form. It was the first time he was seeing it in person and it was... unsettling.

All-Might cleared his throat and adjusted his droopy tie. "We're here for your annual home visit, young Bakugo."

"Tch," Bakugo scowled. "You guys picked a piss poor time for it. I'm not in the mood."

Just as the words left his mouth, Mitsuki appeared behind him and clapped him on the back of the head again. "Ignore my son. We'd love to have you, please come and sit." She gestured down the hallway to the living room. She grabbed Bakugo by the back of the collar and yanked him behind her. "I'll go ahead and get some tea brewing for you gentlemen!"

All-Might gave his cohort a knowing grin, "At least we know where he gets his attitude from."

Aizawa looked unimpressed and began to make his way after the mother/son duo, "I'm not the least bit surprised."

"We should take note on how she disciplines him. Perhaps it will come in handy during class." All-Might muttered and followed.

Bakugo had sat sternly on the sofa throughout the entire meeting. It had gone well and his mother was more than willing to ship his ass off to live at the school, despite his protests. He was very against sharing any kind of living space with anyone, including his own parents. Now, he'd have to be around his annoying classmates every moment of every day.

He was someone who very much valued his privacy. It was almost a ritual to him at this point. Getting away from everyone was the least annoying thing he could think of, but even then he still found himself annoyed with his own boredom.

He had initially thought that going to UA would be a cakewalk for him, yet every day he was experiencing quite the opposite. There was much more to being a hero than being strong. He was performing exceptionally in every part of his studies, yet patience seemed to be the only thing he couldn't even begin to master. Unfortunately for him, that was primarily what the school wanted him to focus on. It was annoying as hell.

Living with his classmates on top of going to school with them seemed like an enormous task, but Bakugo didn't give up easily. He didn't have to be patient with them outside of class, did he? No, he was sure he could establish his dominance much more quickly if he shared a home with them also. That was certainly the only upside to this. Yes, he would be top of the class and everyone would fear him twice over by being under the same roof.

Perhaps this would work out in his favor.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _I know I said I wouldn't update until later in the week, but this entire moving thing is so overwhelming that I had to get away for a while. I've read pretty much everything when in comes to Kacchako so the only way I could get it out of my system was to write it myself._

 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm sure you're all happy because I have a second one for you as well. Spoiler: Prepare for a little bit of fluff. Wow, 20 chapters already... I suppose it's time for some actual fluff, huh?_

 _Thanks for reading and a review is appreciated._

 _~NumberSixteen_


	21. Wake Up Call

Bakugo was especially grouchy this morning as he entered the park. Even his hair was still sleepy and he stretched his tired limbs. He had not slept well last night, tossing and turning about the changes coming UA. Normally, these things did not keep him from a good night of rest, but for some reason this was weighing on him more than he had initially thought.

As he came up to the top of the hill, he checked his watch. He was here right on time, in his book at least. When he broke his eyes from the time, he noticed a mini pink backpack leaning up on a tree at the bottom of the hill. He squinted and realized that it had to belong to round face. Did she leave it here last night? He almost smirked at her stupidity.

As he descended toward it, he could not shake the feeling of being watched. It wasn't necessarily unsettling, but it was definitely unwanted. He glanced around the trees surrounding the clearing, watching for movement. His eyes searched but found nothing, however he didn't lose his awareness.

He approached the backpack and eyed it for a few moments. It was harmless, yet he couldn't help feeling like it was a bomb. He'd always wondered what women kept in those things. How much shit did they lug around with them that they really needed a bag to dedicate to it?

He resisted the urge to peek inside and decided to unzip his hoodie and sling it over a one of the tree's branches. If he really was being watched, then he didn't want to be hindered by the hoodie if he found them out.

He was about to begin his stretches when he finally heard something. "You're late, Bakugo!" The voice came from above, giving him no time to react.

A crushing weight on his shoulders knocked him back. He stumbled a little as he regained his posture and barely managed to dodge a kick.

"The fuck?!" He snarled as he recognized the brown hair of his attacker. He threw his hands up in front of him to block a second kick.

"What?" The girl's voice rang out sweetly, "Did I finally manage to get the drop on you?"

Bakugo was wide awake now and he jumped back to put space between himself and Uraraka. "Not even a little, round-face!" He squared up and felt the sweat beading in his palms. "Get ready to die!"

Before he could set off a single explosion, rocks began rain down on him. Before one could do any damage, he dropped and rolled out of the way. He pulled himself up onto one knee and fired off a blast in the direction she was last seen, but it only met empty air.

"I've got you now!" She sang as she came flying toward him from his right, propelling her weightless self off the side of a tree.

Bakugo could already feel the devilish grin on his lips as he turned sharply to meet her head-on. "You gave yourself away, dumbass!" However, he was not anticipating her to be moving so quickly. Once again, he was unable to explode that grin off her face because she had grabbed him on his right arm. Immediately he could feel the weightless feeling of her quirk as she flung him across the clearing. Damn, she was getting faster.

He could vaguely hear her shout "Release!" before he slammed into the trees and landed awkwardly on the ground. He turned and fired off another blind shot at her only to see that she had once again avoided his attack.

"Damn it!" He grumbled under his breath and glanced around to pinpoint her position. More rocks came hurtling toward him from his right and he blasted them to dust with an seamless explosion.

Just as the dust and smoke from this blast was beginning to clear, she came sprinting through it with a grin plastered across her stupid face. If he wasn't mistaken, it seemed like she was toying with him.

"This is what you get for being late!" She laughed with a teasing undertone. She smoothly dodged the blast from his right hand that was combined with a strong left hook and moved to touch him once more, this time aiming for his chest.

But Bakugo realized her plan a moment too soon and sent her careening back into the dust with a kick to the stomach. As expected, she took it like a champ and slid back, never losing her footing. This fight was just beginning to get good.

"Now to end this!" Bakugo no longer tried to hide his battle smile and rocketed a blast in her direction. Surely she could not dodge this one. "Die!"

The flames lit up the area in a way that the rising sun could not and the area immediately filled once more with black smoke.

"Release!" The command came from above and he glanced up. He could barely make out her falling figure in this smoke.

Uraraka was determined as she dropped toward him once again and she could smell the burnt fabric of her light jacket. Just as she expected, he was at the ready for her descent. The grin on his face was unmistakable. It was hardened and excited at the same time. It had intimidated her when she first saw it, but now it was an invitation to challenge.

She landed beside him and immediately moved to pin him, but he pivoted quickly and blocked her attack. He grabbed her wrist and tossed her back into the scorched dirt.

She rolled for a few feet and allowed the dusty smoke to cover her once again. Should she try to get above him again or attack from the ground? She didn't have the time to decide before he was moving to pin her himself.

She crossed her arms to attack his high kick and ducked to narrowly avoid the punch he followed through with. This was the opening she needed. She threw up an open palm to his chin and hoped it would connect as she threw a shoulder at his chest.

It didn't work out.

She felt a burning hand wrap around her wrist and her shoulder collided into something unmovable. She panted hard as she looked up. Her opponent was gripping her right wrist and had taken the hit from her shoulder without moving an inch. His expression was quite simply put, it was haughty.

Her eyes widened as she realized her defeat, but it wasn't until a few moments after that she noticed the heat coming from him. His hair jutted out in odd directions and his breath rolled over her face. Her wrist felt like it was on fire from his grip and his chest heaved with his panting.

Finally, her eyes fell on his red ones. Their intensity made her want to both shrink back and come closer, yet she did neither. She just remained there, wide-eyed under his scrutiny.

He was feeling the same confusion she was, yet he did not reveal it. He had cancelled her attack, but after she crashed into his chest, he did not move to end it. Her face was dusty and singed, twisted with a determined look. Yet her eyes were wide open with surprise as they peered into his.

He noted that her wrist felt small as his fingers wrapped around it with room to spare. The smell in the air between them was both sweet and salty. Her perfume smelled like flowers and the sweat between the two of them gave it a stark aftertaste. The moment only lasted a few seconds, but when it ended he had shoved her down into the dirt and took a beat to re-adjust.

"The fuck were you thinking?" He asked with a burst of annoyance, trying not to address the awkward tension in the air.

She blinked at him, confused by his suddenly rash tone. Another second went by before she shrugged, "I'm sorry… I didn't sleep at all last night, so I was here super early." She rebounded from the awkward moment before rising to her feet and dusting off her leggings.

He gave her a look that didn't question what she had said, but also didn't keep her from continuing.

"Yaomomo had all of us girls over for a sleepover," She started, hoping the sentence would be explanation enough.

"Tch," Bakugo grunted with irritation. "Isn't that shit a little juvenile? Who the fuck has sleepovers?"

Uraraka furrowed her eyebrows, "Do you ever have sleepovers? They're awesome and super fun." Her slight scowl turned into a sweet smile as she recalled her fun night.

"Hell no," Bakugo spat and crossed his arms. "While you were fuckin' around, braiding each other's hair and shit, I was getting sleep. Sleepovers are fuckin' stupid."

Uraraka rolled her eyes playfully, "Says you. I think they're fun. You can play games together, talk about anything you want, and hang out with your friends. It was pretty much the only thing I could do with my friends growing up, so I think they're especially awesome."

Bakugo scoffed and felt an insult coming on, "That shit is childish. I just fucked with the older kids when I was younger. That shit is the best fun."

"Sounds about right," She teased back. "I guess I could have seen that coming." She rolled her head on her shoulders and wandered over to her backpack to remove her crispy black jacket. Her tank-top underneath, a fittingly soft pink color, was unaffected by his blasts. She felt thankful that she wouldn't be stuck wearing a burnt shirt all day.

She reached for the small pack and retrieved two bottles of water and offered one up to him. "Want one?"

Bakugo resisted the urge to lick his dry lips and paused for a moment to consider her offer. He supposed it would be harmless to take her up on it. He begrudgingly stalked over and moved to snatch the bottle from her hands, his eyes intentionally refusing to meet hers.

Just as his fingertips grazed the bottle, he felt a firm grasp on his arm and a force yanking him to the ground. His first response was to look at her and what he saw was a regretfully vengeful grin. He felt himself fall down into the grass underneath the tree and immediately knew that she was intending to pin him.

He jutted his open hand out to intercept her as she tried to force him on his stomach. He rolled over on his back as she went for the pin, falling over top of him and landing on his chest. Both her hands still grasped his left arm as she wrestled to apprehend it.

His instinct was to try and free himself, so his open hand clapped over hers. They grappled hands for a moment, trying to rid themselves of the other before Bakugo threw his arm back into the grass, forcing her forward.

She lurched forward with the movement and found herself a breath away from his face. Her hands still gripped his arm tightly, but she froze up at the position. She was pretty much laying on him at this point and she could feel his chest rising and falling under her. He was also suddenly tense. His eyes holding their famous scowl, but also hinted like they had alarms going off behind them.

Her mouth fell open just slightly as she felt blood rush to her cheeks. What was going on? What should she do? The tension seemed to thicken even more as she hesitated on what to do next.

He watched her as her mind seemed to scramble behind her shocked gaze. Her expression changed so quickly from determined to surprised and now to completely confused. He wasn't comfortable like this at all. He had never had such proximity with a girl before and he was equally aware of the awkward tension. Again, the air was both sweet and salty, but this time it was overpowering.

He was frozen like this as he took in her features. It burst into his mind that he didn't really consider her to be ugly at all. He might even consider her to be above average. She definitely had a round face and obnoxiously large eyes, but they worked for her. From the hands around his arm, he judged that her skin was soft, but still tough enough to take a few explosions.

He watched her as she sorted through the situation in her mind. He wanted so badly to throw her off him, but he felt trapped under her uncertain gaze. Both of them were feeling the tension now.

A far away voice broke them from their thoughts. "I think I heard it over here, officer. I swear I saw an explosion."

Both of them registered the words and it didn't take more than another beat before both of them were scrambling to their feet.

"Shit!" Bakugo hissed as silently as his irritated attitude could provide. "Somebody called the cops on us about using our quirks!"

Uraraka was fumbling to shove her water bottle into her backpack and throw it over her shoulder. She barely managed to catch her jacket as he threw it at her, pulling his hoodie from it's perch. He glanced around to be sure they weren't missing anything before signalling that they should run.

They had barely made it into the treeline surrounding the clearing before two people appeared over top the hill. Both of them froze up to watch as they ducked into the trees.

The words that the two other people were saying were indiscernible, but both of them were pointing downhill. Bakugo glanced at what they were pointing at and saw the scorch marks he'd made in the earth. ' _Shit… If they find us, my ass is grass.'_

Both people slowly started to come down the hill as he and Uraraka silently inched away. As they reached the spot that the spar had taken place only a few short minutes ago, their voices became clear.

"Who the hell sets off explosions at six in the morning?" The civilian asked, his attitude was disgruntled and angry. This guy was still clad in his night clothes as he shook his head at the sight before him. "I swear, it was only a few minutes ago that this was going on."

The officer observed the scene for a moment before turning his attention to the woods around them. He carefully began to scan the area, searching for anything to give them away.

Both Bakugo and Uraraka scrunched up and leaned into each other, begging not to be caught. Uraraka could feel heat flooding from the boy next to her. He was tense and his eyes were centered on the officer a short distance away. Despite their predicament, Uraraka could not ignore their closeness. Was this how today was going to go? She was embarrassed at the thought of their earlier encounters.

Bakugo was equally aware of Uraraka huddling into his side. Her breath was tickling his right arm as she tried not to move a muscle. He didn't need to look at her to understand the fear in her expression. Did she really have to get this cozy with him right now? It was distracting and awkward. They had bigger things to worry about at the moment, but all he could seem to focus on was how she was pressing her left side into him and how one of her hands was clinging onto his shirt so tightly that he was sure she'd cramp it up.

"They must have just been here," The civilian rattled off again, distracting the officer.

Just as the policeman turned his attention back to the other man, Bakugo felt weightless. He looked over at Uraraka with questioning eyes, ' _The hell are you doing?! Do you want us to get caught?!'_

She noted his silent beratement, but she ignored it as she silently floated them up into the trees as quickly as she could. Just as they were hidden among the branches, the officer turned his attention back to the woods.

"It was probably just a few kids messing around. You can go back to your home now and I'll take a walk around the area to see if I can find them." The officer kicked at the ashen dirt absentmindedly.

The other man looked annoyed, "You're telling me that a couple of kids were having a fight like this? I doubt that. I don't know many kids that can make this much of a racket."

The officer ignored the comment and once again told the man to go home. After a few more complaints, the civilian left muttering about how annoyed he was to be woken by such a commotion.

Uraraka and Bakugo remained frozen together as the officer began sifting through the trees, scanning for something to give away the trouble causers. Both teenagers knew that if they were found out, they would suffer consequences for using their quirks in public. Both of them held their breath as the policeman passed underneath them. The officer paused for a moment, staring at something on the ground. Both of them strained their necks to see what it was, never daring to make a noise.

Uraraka looked horrified as the officer bent to pick the discovered item up. It was her train ticket stub into town from three days ago. She could feel Bakugo glaring at her from her left, and she chomped on her lip stressfully as she watched.

The officer held the ticket as he stood up again and glanced around once more. Both pleaded within themselves that he would not look up.

Finally, the policeman moved on. He wandered through the trees for a while longer before disappearing altogether, assuming that the ones who had made the mess in the clearing were long gone.

Both Uraraka and Bakugo breathed out sighs of relief as he disappeared through the trees.

"We need to get the hell out of here," Bakugo snarled and clenched his fist around his hoodie tighter.

"Agreed…" Uraraka breathed out, finally releasing her tight grip on his shirt and leaning away from him.

Bakugo stared at her for a few more moments before he grunted in exasperation, "Are you going to get us down or what?"

She blinked for a moment before looking down, "Oh… yeah I guess I have to."

Once they were on the ground, both of them were sprinting up the hill and hustling toward the market place just outside the park. If they could hide within the early morning shoppers, then they were sure to have gotten away. As they exited the park, Bakugo tossed her a dirty look, "That was some stupid as hell shit back here, round-face."

Uraraka rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment, "Yeah I guess… I'm sorry about that."

Bakugo sneered in reply, "Fuck! If he would have seen us, we'd be in deep shit right now. It's your damn fault for picking a fight!"

Uraraka rolled her eyes, "Yeah I know. But it definitely was fun. We'll have to find somewhere else if we want to use our quirks, I guess."

"Whatever," Bakugo ground his teeth in annoyance.

"What now?" Uraraka asked as they entered the market.

Bakugo glanced around at the shops opening up for the morning rush. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting something to eat." He immediately moved to leave her behind, but she followed suit.

"I'm hungry too, so I'll come with." She smiled sweetly at him as he ignored her.

Bakugo felt a rush of irritation, but he felt a lesser need to act on it than he normally would. "Whatever. Just keep your damn mouth shut." It was certainly going to be a long morning for him.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Ahhh... I so enjoyed writing this chapter. I got a little carried away with it, so it's a longer one than I normally publish._

 _Please let me know what you think! I'll try to update soon._

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _~NumberSixteen_


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